Real Madrid 1-2 Levante: Los Blancos Player Ratings as they lose more ground in title race

A listless performance from 10-man Real Madrid saw them fall to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Levante at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in LaLiga on Saturday.

The hosts started off shakily in the absence of captain Sergio Ramos as Levante found acres of space behind what was a very high line. Eder Militao was sent off as early as the 9th minute when he brought down Sergio Leon just outside the box, leaving his team to play the rest of the game a man down.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Real Madrid drew first blood just 4 minutes after the red card. Marco Asensio latched onto a delightful through-ball from Toni Kroos and calmly finished past Aitor in the Levante goal.

Los Blancos' joy was short-lived, though. Jose Luis Morales swept in a gorgeous finish on the half volley in the 32nd minute to even the scoreline, and the visitors slowly began applying consistent pressure.

After the half-time break, Real Madrid's stand-in manager David Bettoni decided to ring in the changes. Vinicius Jr came on, and in his first involvement of the game, brought down Carlos Clerc just inside the box. Thibaut Courtois saved the ensuing spot-kick, but Levante found their winner 12 minutes from time.

Roger Marti atoned for his penalty miss by lashing a cutback from substitute Enes Bardhi past Courtois. Although Real Madrid tried their best to fashion an equalizer, they saw their 5-game home win streak come to an end.

Levante have now won 3 and drawn 2 in their last 8 games against the defending champions, and have lost only 2 of their last 19 games in all competitions this season. After this result, league leaders Atletico Madrid can go 13 points clear if they win their two games in hand.

Here are the Real Madrid player ratings from their 2-1 loss to Levante.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

Real Madrid v Levante UD - La Liga Santander

Thibaut Courtois: 7.5/10

Courtois was a tad indecisive while coming off his line early in the game, but he was sharp for the rest of the contest. He was kept busy by Levante's energetic forwards, and made 6 stops including the all-important penalty save. The Belgian couldn't have done much for either goal, and was let down by his defense.

Alvaro Odriozola: 2/10

Odriozola has found playing time difficult to come by since returning from his loan spell at Bayern Munich, and it was clear to see why in this game. Starting due to injuries to Nacho, Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal, the right-back offered little in attack. To make matters worse, he left Morales completely unmarked for Levante's first goal.

Raphael Varane: 5/10

Varane hasn't looked too comfortable in the absence of partner Ramos, and he put in a mixed display after Militao was sent off. Although the Frenchman dealt with any aerial threat posed by the Levante forwards well, it must be said that the defensive coordination and leadership usually present under Ramos was sorely lacking. He was also guilty of letting Leon run in behind him in the lead-up to the red card.

Eder Militao: 1/10

Starting a third consecutive game for the first time in his Real Madrid career, Militao had a great opportunity to prove his worth. But his outing ended in misery after just 9 minutes as he bundled over Leon just outside the box to be given his marching orders. The referee initially awarded a yellow, but overturned the decision - which could've gone either way - after consulting VAR.

Ferland Mendy: 4/10

Mendy has been a rock at the back for Real Madrid, but this wasn't one of his better performances. He didn't offer much penetration going forward, was unassured in possession, and failed to keep Miramon in check defensively. Interestingly, this was Madrid's first LaLiga loss in which Mendy has been part of the starting lineup, which underlines his importance to the side.

Casemiro: 7/10

Casemiro filled in at centre-back after Militao was sent off, and did his best to fulfil his defensive duties while haring upfield for any set-pieces. Although he did have some minor lapses, the Brazilian won 11 duels, made 4 tackles and was fouled 3 times.

Luka Modric: 6/10

Modric tried his best to influence proceedings for Real Madrid as he won 4 fouls and created 2 chances. Although he worked tirelessly and won 10 duels, the final pass just wasn't there. A tinge of exhaustion might be creeping in for the 35-year-old, who has started almost every game in the festive season.

Toni Kroos: 6.5/10

Kroos was accurate with his passing (58 passes, 95%) as always, and produced arguably the assist of the season with the outside of his right boot for Real Madrid's goal. Although he was a tad indecisive going forward and struggled to win 50/50s in midfield as his side played with 10 men, he created 4 chances and always tried to make something happen. The German fatigued easily, and his influence on the game waned with time.

Eden Hazard: 3/10

A week after his best performance of the season against Alaves, Hazard was lackadaisical in attack apart from one lung-bursting run early on in the game. Struggling to find a way through the Levante defense and failing to link up with Karim Benzema, he was taken off before the hour mark.

Marco Asensio: 7.5/10

Arguably Real Madrid's best player on the night, Asensio scored the team's only goal before coming close on another occasion. The Spaniard started on the right, and his pace caused Clerc and Duarte many problems. Although his presence dwindled after being moved to the left wing, he put in a positive performance overall. Asensio could've put his side 2 goals ahead in the first half after controlling a lofted ball, but fluffed his lines with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Karim Benzema: 2/10

Benzema has been Real Madrid's go-to man in attack once again this season, but like most of his teammates, he didn't cover himself in glory with this performance. The Frenchman had only 1 shot on target, and spurned a decent chance after being sent through on goal by Kroos. He was taken off in the 82nd minute after cutting a frustrated, isolated figure for most of the game.

Real Madrid Substitutes

Vinicius Jr: 4/10

A few bright minutes at Alaves last weekend saw Vinicius brought on with ample time to make an impact on the game. He clumsily brought down Clerc to concede a penalty (it could have just as easily been adjudged a free-kick), which was saved. The youngster pressed high up the pitch and won a couple of corners, but didn't create any meaningful chances for Real Madrid.

Mariano Diaz: N/A

Not enough involvement to warrant a rating.

Sergio Arribas: N/A