Cristiano Ronaldo started his two-match ban with the visit of Real Sociedad to the Santiago Bernebeu on Saturday but Karim Benzema’s brace ensured that the Portuguese was not overly missed.
David Moyes’ side had beaten Barcelona at the beginning of the year and the Basque outfit were expected to pose a tough threat, which they did.
They scored under one minute when from a Ruben Pardo with a cross, Aritz Elustondo headed past Iker Casillas.
But Los blancos responded immediately with a header of their own, from James Rodriguez in the third minute.
They then had to wait for 36 minutes to take the lead through Sergio Ramos, who pounced on a rebound after Benzema’s shot was saved and rifled home.
Benzema finally got the goal his play deserved seven minutes into the second half when he beat Geronimo Rulli with a neat left foot finish.
The French striker wrapped up the scoring on 76 minutes with a aright footed finish off a Isco assist. Real thus maintain their lead atop the La Liga table, even with a game in hand.
