Because Girona beat Valencia 2-1, they were briefly in first place, but Madrid moved back ahead on goal difference on a calm evening in the capital.

At the Santiago Bernabeu, Brahim Diaz scored the first goal in the middle of the first half, and Rodrygo doubled the lead after 57 minutes.

The Brazilian forward has scored seven goals in his last five games across all competitions. He came on at the right time to help Madrid keep up their good start to the season, even though some players have been out.

A lot of important players for Madrid are hurt, like goalie Thibaut Courtois and winger Vinicius Junior.

But Los Blancos had more than enough to beat the Andalucians, who were 19th and fighting to stay in the league.

Ancelotti told the press, “(Rodrygo) is back to his best level and scoring a lot of goals.”

Toni Kroos, a defender, got Diaz’s first goal with a smart pass, so the coach was happy with him.

“He doesn’t give balls away, he always chooses the best option, he’s a midfielder who wants the ball,” said Ancelotti.

“He is not afraid and he positions himself very well, it’s his biggest virtue, his control too … when he doesn’t play, he’s irreplaceable.”

To try to keep Carlo Ancelotti’s team at bay, Granada lined up with five defenders. It worked to some extent, but it was always clear that Madrid would win.

Madrid quickly took control of the game without making too many chances.

After 26 minutes, Kroos made a great pass that put Diaz in on goal. He kept his cool to gently poke the ball in and put Madrid ahead.

It was the former Manchester City playmaker’s second goal in four games. Diaz proved that he could help Rodrygo fill in for the injured Vinicius Junior.

“We played the football that we know, it was a nearly perfect game, we dominated the match and they created very few chances against us,” Diaz shared with Real Madrid TV.

“We were very focused and that’s the work of the whole team and the players, who are spectacular.”

Performance under control

Jude Bellingham scored 11 goals, which was the most in La Liga. He could have scored another just before halftime, but his shot went across goal and the ball went wide.

The England player got a yellow card for disrespect earlier in the game. He strongly asked for a penalty before halftime when Ignasi Miquel tackled him and took the ball first, but his pleas were ignored.

The second goal for Madrid came after a nice team move in which Joselu and Diaz set up Bellingham.

The midfielder was saved by Granada goalkeeper Andre Ferreira, but Rodrygo sprinted on to the rebound and smashed home before the hour mark. He has now scored in five straight games.

Fede Valverde could have made it three when Bellingham sent him a nice pass, but Ferreira saved his shot.

Defender Ricard Sanchez for Granada told DAZN, “I think the team gave everything; we left our skins out there. We have nothing to blame ourselves for.”

When winger Bryan Zaragoza got hurt late in the game, it was a bad blow for the guests.

On Sunday, third-placed Atletico Madrid will go to fourth-placed Barcelona to try to close the seven-point gap between them and the top two teams.