Real Madrid climbed to the summit of LaLiga after a commanding 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, highlighted by a successful injury return for Trent Alexander-Arnold and a brace from Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid provisionally leapfrogged Barcelona to claim first place in LaLiga with a dominant 4-1 win at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrated his first start in two months by providing a pinpoint assist for Gonzalo García’s early opener.
Despite Mikel Oyarzabal equalizing from the spot, Vinicius Jr restored the lead with a penalty of his own before Federico Valverde thundered home a third.
The Brazilian star added a second penalty after the interval to wrap up the scoring and secure the three points for Álvaro Arbeloa’s side.
The result ends Real Sociedad’s seven-game unbeaten streak and leaves them eighth in the standings.
Reflecting on the physical nature of the game and his return, Alexander-Arnold noted that “after (he’s had) a long time out, we will proceed with caution,” as the club looks toward European commitments.