Los Blancos eased the pressure on their manager Xabi Alonso, thanks to their close 2-1 victory over 12th placed Alaves

Vinicius Junior, who had been relatively invisible all night long, bested Jonny Otto down the left flank with a blistering run that ended with a pass across the face of goal to his fellow countryman Rodrygo. The Brazilian calmly slotted home his first league goal in nearly 12 months to give Real Madrid the lead.