Rayo Vallecano 0 - Real Madrid 3

Rayo: Lopetegui; Corino, Hernández, De Quintana, Graff; Michel, Quevedo (Azkoitia 75'), Helder, Baljic; Bolo (Glaucio 60'), Bolic. 4-4-2.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado (Geremi 43'), Hierro, Pavón, Roberto Carlos; Iván Helguera, Makelele; Figo, Zidane (Guti 82'), Raúl; Morientes (Celades 70'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Rayo: Corino, Michel, Quevedo, Baljic, Bolo for Alcázar, Iván Iglesias, Glaucio, Peragón, Arteaga / Madrid: No change.

Goals:
0-1. 01. Raúl. Header on goal line after Morientes headed down Figo cross.
0-2. 27. Morientes. Took advantage of bad pass by Helder to run on and score.
0-3. 68. Morientes. Rounded keeper to score after short pass from Raúl.

Real Madrid were one of the big winners of the day, moving up to within a point of the European spots and four of the leaders after a comfortable victory against their city rivals Rayo Vallecano. Vicente Del Bosque appears to have found his ideal line up and he put out the same eleven players for the third match in a row, despite having had a long return trip from Wednesday night's Champions League tie in Prague. Rayo's manager Gregorio Manzano changed his team around though (reportedly on the advice of a local building worker), finding space for Madrid's own on-loan forward Baljic behind twin strikers Bolic and Bolo, with Michel and Quevedo returning from injury.

Bolic got in the first shot at goal in the opening seconds, but play switched down the other end and Figo swung the ball across for Morientes to head past Lopetegui, Raúl getting the last touch on the goal-line with his head just to make sure it went in. Almost half an hour later Morientes made it two when Helder played Michel's wild pass into his path, and he only a good save by Lopetegui stopped him from getting another a minute later. Rayo's fans started to get on the players' backs for failing to get stuck in, but they did create a couple of chances, with a long shot from Baljic going just wide and his fellow countryman Bolic hitting the post.

Manzano brought on Glaucio with an hour gone and he immediately made his mark, leaving a trail of defenders behind him before he was finally closed out. But Morientes is a man on-form, and he wrapped things up with his second of the night and his seventh in four games after Corino gave the ball away to Raúl. With the two teams above them winning Real Madrid stay seventh, but they close up on the top four who all lost. Rayo fall to their first home defeat after three wins on the trot in Vallecas, and in this most competitive of leagues they now find themselves four points adrift of the rest at the bottom of the table. Their fans are already looking up the names and addresses of the teams in the second division.