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Real Madrid secured their fourth consecutive victory in their last five La Liga fixtures, thanks to Karim Benzema's early second-half goal against rivals Atletico Madrid. They also moved six-points clear at the top of the standings, with second-placed Barcelona having a game in their hand.
After a goalless first-half, some fireworks were expected in the next period and Zinedine Zidane's decision to bring in substitute Vinicius Jr. in place of Toni Kroos proved a masterstroke.
It was the Brazilian whose quick feet and quick thinking with the ball that created the chance for Benzema's opener in the 56th minute and overall he left a positive account of himself in the short appearance, adding width, pace and skill to Madrid's attack after coming on.
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Heading into the game the hosts were the favourites and they proved it on the pitch. To make the derby victory even sweeter, they also secured yet another clean sheet and continued their impressive defensive record this season. Los Blancos have conceded the fewest goals across any of Europe's top five leagues.
So with Real Madrid securing a victory over their rivals, here we take a look at the three talking points from the game.
#3 Atletico Madrid's undefeated streak at the Santiago Bernabeu comes to an end
Diego Simeone has been under fire this season and this defeat will only add to his woes. They are now virtually out of the contention for the league title and will have to struggle for a European spot.
Apart from this, however, it is interesting to note that he had a solid record against Los Merengues in league competitions at the Santiago Bernabeu. Before tonight's defeat, we had to go back to December 1, 2012, for the last time he was defeated by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
It was their longest unbeaten streak against Real in the competition's history. Since then in six league encounters at the stadium, he secured three wins and drawn the other three games.
But now that with a side that had only scored 22 goals in as many league games, he just couldn't conjure something up to take home a positive result.
#2 Real Madrid continue to impress defensively
Real Madrid are a side always known for their goal-scoring and every season, they manage to put in loads of goal, but this season they are making history thanks to their remarkable defensive record.
They have conceded just 13 goals in 22 league games so far. They boast the best defensive records across all European leagues and also they have matched their own historical record in LaLiga with. Only three times in history have 13 goals been scored against them at this stage of the competition, in 1934-35, 1964-65 and 1987-88.
Courtois has regained his form and though he was not tested much by Atletico's defence, he performed his duties for the day very well.
#1 Real Madrid make a statement by this huge derby win
Real Madrid have gone without a La Liga title since their last triumph in 2016-17 season when their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was still with them.
In the previous decade, they were overshadowed by bitter rivals Barcelona in the league, winning it on seven occasions as opposed to Real's two titles.
But, after beating a strong team like Atletico Madrid tonight and extending their unbeaten run in the Spanish top-flight to 13 games, Zidane's men have made a statement that they want to win the competition this time around.
It looks like their first real title-charge since the 2016-17 campaign and with a 1-0 win over Los Colchoneros, they have also put reigning champions Barcelona under pressure to secure a win in their fixture against Levante on Sunday
