Real Madrid had to fight back from behind to win as they took on mid-table Espanyol to secure a 4-1 win. Thibaut Courtois was unfortunate to deflect a cross into his own net early in the second half, but Dani Carvajal and Rodrygo tap-ins shortly after put the reigning La Liga champions in front for the first time, with substitute Vinícius Júnior getting in on the act with a third before Kylian Mbappé made it four from the penalty spot.
Three answers
1. Who would be rotated and rested?
Coach Carlo Ancelotti had hinted that this “might be the day” for rotations with the fixtures coming thick and fast for Real Madrid. There will be no week with a full seven days between fixtures until the next international break in mid-October, and that comes after six games in the first month of action, which also included an international break. Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rüdiger, and, most surprising of all, Vinícius Júnior, were among those rested, with Fran García, Luka Modrić and Arda Güler coming in. It meant a rejig, with Aurélien Tchouameni dropping into central defence to give the German international a rest as he continues to manage his knee condition which means his minutes need to be handled carefully after a year of playing almost every available minute. With Espanyol taking the lead, Vini was immediately called upon to help change the game, which doesn’t reflect well on Ancelotti’s faith in his options.
2. Could Real Madrid’s home defensive record continue?
Los Blancos hadn’t conceded a goal at the Bernabéu in La Liga since Fermín López scored for Barcelona on April 21st of this year. Real Betis (twice), Real Valladolid, Alavés and Cádiz had all shown up in the capital and not been able to find a way past the Real Madrid defence before Thibaut Courtois turned the ball into his own net. The run started with 21 minutes of Andriy Lunin between the sticks, while loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga also contributed 27 minutes off the bench, and the rest have been with Thibaut Courtois as the leading man. Last season, the team’s longest home run without conceding in the league was three consecutive games, and that has already been matched in 2024/25. Espanyol didn’t register a shot until Javi Puado tested his luck from the halfway line on 38 minutes, but still found the first goal.
3. Would the bench be needed again?
Perhaps more than in any other game this season. The impact of the second string, particularly the likes of Endrick and Brahim Díaz, off the bench has been pivotal in securing some results and in making others look far more comfortable, but hear Ancelotti had to turn to his reserves to avoid defeat. As soon as Espanyol took the lead, the coach turned to bring in Vinícius, who was initially rested from the starting line-up, replacing the impressive Arda Güler. That introduction changed the game, with Lucas Vázquez later giving Dani Carvajal a rest after he scored, and late substitutions ensuring that others got a breather rather than playing the full 90 minutes. Here, only one change had any real influence, but that was all that was needed when one man could bring such a change in quality. For the second game in a row, Ancelotti was forced to make a change before 55 minutes to adjust his team’s system.
Three questions
1. Did Rodrygo do enough to impress on the left flank?
For the first time this season, we saw Brazilian forward Rodrygo Goes given a starting role on the left side of attack, with Kylian Mbappé again deployed through the middle and Arda Güler moving forward down the right wing. He scored what would prove to be a crucial goal to take the lead, but that would only come after he moved across to the right hand-side. If anything, the introduction and impact of Vinícius on the left only served to further underline the need to have him there, rather than Rodrygo. His introduction was what changed the game and created the chances that Rodrygo could lap up from elsewhere, and his movement and link-up play with Mbappé was much stronger, as evidenced by the third goal.
2. Who will be rested on Tuesday against Alavés?
Ancelotti didn’t go all out with his rotations, keeping many of his big names in the side as he rested a select handful. That means we can expect more changes on Tuesday night against Alavés ahead of next Sunday’s Derbi at the Metropolitano. Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Fede Valverde and Kylian Mbappé could all be prime candidates to be rested, having featured regularly. The fitness of Aurélien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham may also need to be monitored given their recent injuries, but action and minutes may help to rebuild their fitness levels, particularly in the case of the Englishman.
3. Why are Real Madrid such slow starters this season?
From eight games played so far this season, Real Madrid have seen six of them remain at 0-0 when the half-time whistle went. The other two were 1-0, in their favour against Mallorca on matchday one, and against them versus Las Palmas. No home game for Real Madrid this season has seen a first-half goal, and there have been four. Once Real Madrid went behind, they started to attack with more purpose and incision to eventually justify their expected goals, which ended at 3.64 with several high-quality chances being finished off. Particularly important was the team’s fifth penalty in the last three La Liga games, allowing Mbappé to score after a frustrating night where his xG was 1.0 before stepping up to score from 12 yards.