Real Madrid moved five points clear at the top of the La Liga table with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Girona on Saturday.
In what was billed as a title-decider, Madrid ensured there was no doubting the identify of La Liga's dominant side with a rampant performance that yielded a deservedly dominant scoreline.
Vinicius Junior opened the scoring early on and Jude Bellingham netted in both halves, before Rodrygo finished things off with an excellent solo goal.
How the game unfolded
Girona were comfortable in possession early on but some Madrid magic put Los Blancos ahead inside six minutes.
Vinicius picked the ball up out on the left and cut inside towards the edge of the penalty area, where he unleashed a perfect strike which thundered into the back of the Girona net to get this game off to the perfect start for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Girona did not shy away from the occasion and enjoyed plenty of possession, but Madrid defended with real discipline and energy and Girona created very little of note inside the first half.
Further flexing their quality, Madrid struck a crucial second ten minutes before the interval. A stunning ball from Vinicius took the entire Girona defence out of the game as Bellingham latched on, rounded the goalkeeper and tapped home.
There was more energy to Girona early in the second half, with Miguel Gutierrez causing chaos with a fierce cross which was ultimately cleared by Madrid.
However, Madrid regained control of proceedings when Bellingham tapped home the rebound after Vinicius' superb solo effort was tapped into his lap.
The fourth wasn't far behind. Rodrygo led the counter and finished off the move with a fierce strike to remove any doubt about the result.
There was still time, however, for Joselu to miss a stoppage time penalty. Thankfully for the substitute striker, it meant nothing.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-3-1-2)
GK: Andriy Lunin - 6/10 - Rarely tested.
RB: Lucas Vazquez - 7/10 - His impressive run of form continues. Vazquez was excellent defensively and did what he could to try get forwards as well.
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni - 7/10 - Looked at home as a defender. Made some excellent interceptions and his natural comfort on the ball helped Tchouameni start things from the back.
CB: Dani Carvajal - 7/10 - Worked incredibly hard in an unfamiliar position. A truly impressive performance.
LB: Ferland Mendy - 6/10 - A little quiet at both ends but didn't get much wrong.
CM: Toni Kroos - 8/10 - A masterful performance from the midfield conductor. Kroos pulled each and every string to perfection but also ensured his positioning never left his centre-backs exposed.
CM: Federico Valverde - 8/10 - Immense energy. Valverde flew around every inch of the pitch, trying to get involved in attack while also putting in a double shift to help out in defence. Selfless and sensational.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga - 7/10 - Pulled his weight in every aspect. Some superb dribbling to help Madrid advance the ball.
AM: Jude Bellingham - 8/10 - Another goal under the spotlight. Bellingham made sure to leave his mark on the game. Forced off injured early in the second half.
ST: Rodrygo - 6/10 - Noticeably quiet in the first half but announced his presence in the game with a glorious goal.
ST: Vinicius Junior - 9/10 - His goal was beautiful but his assist for Bellingham may just have been better. Madrid needed him to step up for this one and he gleefully answered the call.
Substitutes
SUB: Brahim Diaz (57' for Bellingham) - 6/10
SUB: Joselu (70' for Rodrygo) - 6/10
SUB: Luka Modric (70' for Kroos) - 6/10
SUB: Fran Garcia (77' for Mendy) - 6/10
SUB: Arda Guler (77' for Vinicius) - 6/10
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Diego Pineiro (GK), Jacobo Ramon, Dani Ceballos
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti - 8/10 - With no defenders available, Ancelotti did not panic and set his side up with such control and composure.
Girona player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Paulo Gazzaniga - 5/10 - Far too slow off his line to give Bellingham a simple goal.
RB: Yan Couto - 1/10 - Started the game with real energy but soon fell into the background. Couldn't cope with Vinicius defensively and was caught in possession for the fourth goal. Gave away a stoppage time penalty.
CB: Juanpe - 4/10 - Could have easily picked up a red card in what was an uncomfortable performance.
CB: Eric Garcia - 4/10 - Not comfortable at all. Physically couldn't cope with Bellingham's runs from deep.
LB: Miguel Gutierrez - 4/10 - In what was essentially an audition for a summer transfer, the left-back failed to impress. While he wasn't too bad defensively, it was his limited impact in attack which underwhelmed.
DM: Aleix Garcia - 5/10 - Disappointingly quiet. Never had enough time on the ball to work his magic.
DM: Ivan Martin - 5/10 - Valverde and Camavinga were simply too physical for the Girona midfield. Martin couldn't keep up.
RM: Viktor Tsygankov - 5/10 - Couldn't find space beyond Mendy but didn't exactly ask many questions of the Frenchman.
AM: Cristian Portu - 5/10 - Quiet. Just couldn't find the space needed to link things up before being hooked at the break.
LM: Savio - 5/10 - With the world watching on, Savio got nothing from Vazquez, who stuck to him like glue to ensure there were no opportunities to get going.
ST: Artem Dovbyk - 4/10 - Marked out of the game. Can't fault the work rate at all but Madrid simply didn't give him room to breathe.
Substitutes
SUB: Pablo Torre (46' for Portu) - 5/10
SUB: Jhon Solis (70' for Martin) - 5/10
SUB: Cristhian Stuani (70' for Dovbyk) - 5/10
SUB: Valery Fernandez (70' for Tsygankov) - 5/10
Subs not used: Toni Fuidias (GK), Juan Carlos (GK), Arnau Martinez, Antal Yaakobishvili, Ricard Artero, Borja Garcia
Manager
Salva Funez - 3/10 - With manager Michel in the stands, Girona looked a shell of themselves. There was nothing about this performance at all.
