Real Madrid vs. Sevilla: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Real Madrid extended their lead atop La Liga to four points, Wednesday, thanks to a hard-fought, 2-1 win over Sevilla at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
James Rodriguez and Jese did the goalscoring for Madrid, while second-half substitute Iago Aspas pulled one back for the guests with 10 minutes remaining.
Overall, there were several performances that caught the eye in the match, as well as one or two that were rather less impressive.
Following are the individual winners and losers from the encounter.
Winner: Iago Aspas, Who Scored His Second Goal in Two Matches
Sevilla need Iago Aspas to produce offense with regularity, and 13 minutes after replacing Carlos Bacca for the guests, the on-loan Liverpool attacker scored his second goal in as many matches for the Europa League holders.
Moving stealthily into the goalmouth to await Vitolo's reverse, Aspas needed just a single touch to beat Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas from in close, and in the dying minutes of the contest, it looked as though his strike might inspire a comeback from his side.
It wasn't to be, although Sevilla manager Unai Emery will have surely been pleased that Aspas was able to break an eight-match goalscoring drought in La Liga.
The 27-year-old now has 10 goals this season in all competitions.
Losers: The Three Injured Players Who Had to Be Withdrawn
Injuries were an important subtext to Wednesday's match, what with two Real Madrid players and Sevilla's starting goalkeeper being withdrawn due to injury before the half-time whistle.
Sergio Ramos was the first to make his exit after limping off the Bernabeu pitch in the ninth minute, and shortly before the half-hour mark, James Rodriguez was also substituted.
According to AS, both players will almost certainly miss the upcoming derby against Atletico Madrid.
Sevilla goalkeeper Beto, meanwhile, took a Karim Benzema knee to the head as the two rushed to win the ball and, as per AS, will be spending the night in hospital.
Winner: Isco, Who Put in Another Well-Rounded Shift
Isco starred on both sides of the ball on Wednesday.
In other words, he delivered the type of performance that has become rather par for the course for him lately.
In the 36th minute, he intercepted Carlos Bacca's wayward pass and slid the ball to Karim Benzema before getting a slight touch on the return, which was slammed into goal by Jese.
Then, shortly after the restart, he back-tracked to halt Bacca's attack and, in the same movement, sprung a Gareth Bale counter.
According to WhoScored, the 22-year-old had seven successful dribbles, touched the ball 79 times and completed 93 percent of his passes against Sevilla.
Loser: Vitolo, Who Missed a Chance and Was Booked for Diving
It just didn't happen for Vitolo on Wednesday.
Just seconds after kick-off, he should have put Sevilla in front but ended up ringing his shot off the far post.
His night only got worse in the 71st minute when, after throwing himself to ground as he dribbled near Alvaro Arbeloa, he was rightfully shown a yellow card for diving.
"Vitolo with a quite embarrassing dive over Arbeloa's non-existent foot in the box," tweeted Football Espana.
Winner: Marcelo, Who Set Up James' Opener
Marcelo made his 300th appearance for Real Madrid on Wednesday and marked the occasion with an assist.
In the 12th minute, his fine cross to the far post found Jese, who dove to head the ball past Sevilla goalkeeper Beto and into the back of the net.
Unfortunately, the left-back's harsh, 60th-minute booking for a slight bit of contact with Vitolo means he'll be suspended for the upcoming Madrid derby against local rivals Atletico.
But he should never have gone into the book for the incident, and that he was in the starting lineup in the first place was down to manager Carlo Ancelotti's preference.
Either way, he generally delivered at the Bernabeu, touching the ball 87 times and throwing himself into four tackles, according to WhoScored.
Loser: Gareth Bale, Who Was Hardly a Difference-Maker in Ronaldo's Absence
Gareth Bale failed to assert himself in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence.
He made little impact against Sevilla on Wednesday, and the unimpressive display followed a disappointing outing against Real Sociedad at the weekend.
"Cut and paste time," tweeted BBC contributor Andy West during the match. "Gareth Bale makes great run, should pass, shoots, misses, Bernabeu groans."
Ronaldo's return from suspension will mean a reduction in the pressure on Bale to produce, which is perhaps just as he likes it. Because he certainly hasn't thrived without the Ballon d'Or winner alongside.