Real Madrid 2-1 Sevilla: 5 Talking Points as Los Blancos go 4 points clear at the top | La Liga 2021-22
Real Madrid beat Sevilla 2-1 to secure a hard-fought victory to go four points clear atop the La Liga table.
Rafa Mir opened the scoring for Sevilla with a thumping header in the 12th minute. Following the opener, Sevilla took complete control of the game, pushing forward in search of their second goal of the game.
Things turned in favour of Los Blancos when Yassine Bounou's save off Eder Militao in the 32nd minute ricocheted off the post. That fell kindly to Karim Benzema who scored the equaliser.
After the restart, Real Madrid looked determined to bag all three points. They kept pushing through Marco Asensio, Benzema and Vinicius Junior. The hosts finally got their winner midway through the second half when Vinicius Jr rocketed one in from distance to seal the game in favour of Real Madrid.
🏁 FP: @realmadrid 2-1 @SevillaFC
⚽ @Benzema 32', @vinijr 87'; Rafa Mir 12'
#Emirates | #RealMadridSevillaFC https://t.co/ARaZLO7ntB
On that note, here's a look at the five talking points from the game:
#5 Thibaut Courtois was Real Madrid's unsung hero of the night
Thibaut Courtois was exceptional for Real Madrid against Sevilla. The Belgian was the busier of the two keepers. Although he conceded one in the opening minutes of the game, there was nothing he could have done to keep that one out.
Sevilla could have doubled their advantage minutes after scoring their first of the night. But the 29-year-old made a brilliant stop to deny the visitors.
🤩 Otra parada DECISIVA... 🤩
🙌 ¡ENORME Thibaut! 🙌 https://t.co/ABLDb3WTtJ
Courtois made an important save in stoppage time as well to defend Real Madrid's lead.
#4 Real Madrid need to start games with more energy
Real Madrid started the game sluggishly. Sevilla looked like scoring every time they marched forward. The hosts made numerous mistakes in the opening half, inviting unwarranted pressure. Real Madrid gave away possession quite cheaply, and found it difficult to take charge of proceedings.
Madrid were caught napping for Sevilla's opener. None of the defenders marked Mir, who headed one past Courtois. They nearly conceded their second of the night minutes later. But thanks to David Alaba and Courtois, they managed to keep their citadel intact.
Real Madrid stepped up only after the first quarter of the game was gone. So manager Carlo Ancelotti will have a lot to ponder about after this game.