Real Madrid came back from Real Sociedad's early goal to stay at the head of LaLiga along with Barcelona. It did so thanks to Luka Modric's resurgence, with two assists and a goal, in a night that will be remembered by many because of the crowd's jeering towards Gareth Bale. Thibaut Courtois, for his part, closed his best unbeaten streak despite conceding an early goal.
1. The resurgence of Modric
The Ballon D'Or winner has rebelled to a secondary role and as soon as he receives continuity in minutes, he shows he is still the midfielder Real Madrid need in order to succeed, not some other reinforcements.
His performance was key to the comeback. After overcoming an injury that had diminished his role, the Croatian showed that he is in a position to fight for a spot in a midfield that seems to belong to Casemiro, Kroos, and Valverde these days. His best game of the season by far, he gave an assist and scored the goal that confirmed Real Madrid's win.
2. Madrid fans turn their back on Bale
Bale is not making any friends. His long absence due to an injury for which there was no medical report or information that Zidane could provide to the media, along with his participation in Wales' 2020 EURO qualifiers despite being allegedly injured, had considerably angered fans. The situation reached a boiling point when he was seen celebrating with a flag that read "Wales, gold, Madrid. In that order".
Fans were angry, and they considered it a lack of respect. It was therefore expected for Bale to be welcomed with a few whistles here and there, but few could anticipate such a crude response from his fans. Fans at the Bernabeu jeered him for a long time, in one of the clearest demonstrations towards a Real Madrid player in recent history. He suffered the wrath of demanding fans that had already lost patience after numerous comings and goings.
The player responded well on the pitch. He managed to isolate himself and be the protagonist in a match he entered when it was already broken, with spaces to exploit his speed. He showed that he is fully recovered and Real Madrid needs his best version to aspire to titles.
3. The record of Thibaut Courtois
He broke his good streak, the best since he became Real Madrid's goalkeeper, but still, he was key to victory after making a few good saves. He went head to head with William Jose with 0-1 on the scoreboard, after falling victim to Sergio Ramos' overconfidence which resulted in a serious defensive mistake.
It allowed him to break a personal record: the est time with a clean sheet since becoming a Madrid player. All in all, he made all the essential saves, without debates in the goal or doubts about his figure.
4. The strength of the wings
Zinedine Zidane's result was achieved thanks to an effective positioning on the field and an outstanding physical display from his wingers on both flanks.
Dani Carvajal was key. He was present in attack and in defensive actions to react to a bad start against Oyarzabal. Ferland Mendy was also outstanding, enough to threaten Marcelo's position in the starting line-up. He ran more than anyone with continuous offensive presence, showing that he handles the right leg with a good center and a shot with which he caressed the goal.
5. Hazard enjoys; Benzema in charge
Real Madrid's absolute benchmark in attacking play, Karim Benzema, showed what happens when a footballer overflows with confidence. The goalscorer made a chance from thin air and scored a goal that was key to the subsequent comeback.
The Santiago Bernabéu were also loving Eden Hazard. The footballer is starting to really understand Spanish football and his new team. He can be seen enjoying himself and he is contagious. He still struggles to score goals, but he has regained his confidence to face rivals after recovering his true identity with a clear physical improvement.