Real Madrid reclaimed their seven-point lead in La Liga on Sunday with a 4-0 home win over struggling Celta Vigo, thanks to two own goals.
Vinicius Junior converted a rebound from Antonio Rudiger’s header at the Santiago Bernabeu midway through the first half, but Celta, managed by former Madrid manager Rafa Benitez, crumbled late.
Rudiger sent another header against the bar, which rebounded off Celta keeper Vicente Guaita and across the line for an own goal, virtually clinching the points for the hosts with 11 minutes remaining.
Guaita was then involved in a mix-up with Carlos Dominguez as the defender bundled a teasing Vinicius cross into his own net.
Turkish starlet Arda Guler, whose debut season in Spain has been ravaged by injuries, came off the bench to grab his first Madrid goal in stoppage time as Carlo Ancelotti’s side brushed off the absence of the suspended Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham, the league’s top scorer this season with 16 goals, watched from the stands after an appeal against the England international’s two-match ban for his red card against Valencia last weekend was dismissed.
Madrid played poorly in a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, but it was enough to see them through to the Champions League quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.
Despite dropping points in three of their past five league games, Madrid had gained ground on second-placed Girona recently as the surprise challengers’ unlikely title bid began to taper off.
Madrid are now 22 games unbeaten in La Liga and eight points above reigning champions Barcelona, who are just behind Girona in third place.
“It wasn’t that difficult to do better than on Wednesday,” said Ancelotti. “We started well, we took advantage of the set-piece to take the lead and then control.
“We’re happy. We’ve done what was needed. We know it’s an important moment of the season.”
Celta remain in 17th and just two points above the relegation zone.
Athletic Bilbao bolstered their Champions League hopes with a 2-0 win at Las Palmas that lifted the Basque club to within two points of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
“This year the whole team is having a very good season,” said Athletic striker Gorka Guruzeta, who scored the opener for the visitors before Saul Coco’s second-half own goal.
“I think we have to have that calmness and approach every week as a challenge to keep winning.”
Alaves beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in Sunday’s early game, while Real Betis host Villarreal later.
Sevilla can pull further away from the bottom three on Monday when they travel to winless Almeria.