Match ends, Espanyol 0, Real Madrid 2.
Espanyol 0-2 Real Madrid
- From the section European Football
Real Madrid beat Espanyol for a record-equalling 16th consecutive win in Spain's top division and moved three points clear at the top of La Liga.
Goals from James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema gave them the win that matches the run of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side in the 2010-11 season.
Real, without Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo for the trip to the Cornella-El Prat stadium, made it four wins from four this season.
Barcelona are second on nine points.
Wales forward Bale picked up a hip problem in the 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, while Portuguese star Ronaldo was ruled out with flu.
Colombia forward Rodriguez, who was linked with a move away from the Bernabeu in the summer, scored Real's opener just before the break.
Receiving the ball from Toni Kroos 30 yards from goal, Rodriguez rode two challenges before shooting low into the corner past Diego Lopez.
Benzema doubled the lead on 70 minutes, meeting Lucas Vazquez's low cross for a simple tap-in from close range.
The win maintains Real's unbeaten start to the season and puts them on 12 points, ahead of Barcelona and Las Palmas on nine.
Former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores has just two points from his opening four games since taking over at Espanyol in the summer.
Line-ups
Espanyol
- 13López
- 16López RodríguezBooked at 64mins
- 15López Silva
- 6DuarteBooked at 44mins
- 4Sánchez Mata
- 17PérezBooked at 21mins
- 20DiopBooked at 54mins
- 28RocaSubstituted forReyesat 83'minutes
- 19PiattiSubstituted forVázquez Garcíaat 10'minutes
- 11Carrilho Baptistao
- 7Moreno BalagueróSubstituted forCaicedoat 66'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Jiménez Gago
- 2Demichelis
- 3Duarte
- 9Reyes
- 10Caicedo
- 22Vázquez García
- 23Reyes
Real Madrid
- 13Casilla
- 2CarvajalBooked at 84mins
- 3Pepe
- 4RamosBooked at 3mins
- 12Marcelo
- 19Modric
- 14CasemiroSubstituted forKroosat 19'minutes
- 10RodríguezSubstituted forIscoat 62'minutes
- 17Vázquez
- 9BenzemaSubstituted forMorataat 72'minutes
- 20Asensio
Substitutes
- 5Varane
- 8Kroos
- 16Kovacic
- 21Morata
- 22Isco
- 23Danilo
- 25Yáñez
- Referee:
- Alejandro José Hernández Hernández
- Attendance:
- 30,153
Match Stats
Home TeamEspanyolAway TeamReal Madrid
- Possession
- Home40%
- Away60%
- Shots
- Home11
- Away13
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away7
- Corners
- Home4
- Away5
- Fouls
- Home19
- Away8
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, Espanyol 0, Real Madrid 2.
Pepe (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol).
Offside, Real Madrid. Luka Modric tries a through ball, but Álvaro Morata is caught offside.
Álvaro Morata (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Óscar Duarte (Espanyol).
Attempt saved. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Pape Diop (Espanyol).
Booking
Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid).
Víctor Sánchez (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Isco (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sergio Ramos.
Substitution
Substitution, Espanyol. Diego Reyes replaces Marc Roca.
Isco (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Marc Roca (Espanyol).
Attempt saved. Álvaro Morata (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marcelo.
Attempt missed. Leo Baptistao (Espanyol) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Marc Roca.
Foul by Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid).
Leo Baptistao (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol).
Foul by Marco Asensio (Real Madrid).
Leo Baptistao (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. David López (Espanyol) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Víctor Sánchez with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Espanyol. Conceded by Kiko Casilla.
Attempt saved. Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner.
Attempt blocked. Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Leo Baptistao.
Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Leo Baptistao (Espanyol).
Attempt blocked. Isco (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Álvaro Morata.
Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Víctor Sánchez (Espanyol).
Substitution
Substitution, Real Madrid. Álvaro Morata replaces Karim Benzema.
Goal!
Goal! Espanyol 0, Real Madrid 2. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lucas Vázquez.
Foul by Marcelo (Real Madrid).
Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Diego López.
Attempt saved. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marco Asensio.
