Real Madrid 2-0 Atletico Madrid: Player Ratings as Los Blancos Come Out on Top in Madrid Derby

Real Madrid were victorious in Saturday's big derby, beating league leaders Atletico Madrid 2-0 to close the gap at the top in a spirited display.

Los Blancos came within millimetres of breaking the deadlock inside ten minutes, when Karim Benzema struck a vicious effort arrowing towards the top corner, only for Jan Oblak to produce a sensational fingertip save.

The hosts didn't have to wait long before taking the lead however, as Toni Kroos' corner was met perfectly by Casemiro, who powered a superb header low and hard inside the near post.

Madrid doubled their lead just after the hour mark, when Dani Carvajal's brilliant long-range half-volley crashed off the post, bounced off Oblak and bobbled over the line. Atleti failed to get back into the game, and it ended with a 2-0 win for the hosts.

Let's check out the player ratings after a fractious evening in the Spanish capital.

REAL MADRID

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Thibaut Courtois (GK) - 8/10 - Pulled off an important first-half stop to turn a looping ball away from danger. Denied Saul with a great second-half claw away to keep the score at 2-0. Vital.

Dani Carvajal (RB) - 8/10 - Madrid benefitted hugely from Carvajal's return to the defence. Dealt with Carrasco's pace and Felix's trickery. Unleashed an absolute screamer to double the lead in the second half.

Sergio Ramos (CB) - 8/10 - Acted as the decoy for Casemiro's header, with everyone nervously eyeing his movement. Did his defensive duties with typical style.

Raphael Varane (CB) - 7/10 - Looked more comfortable with Ramos at his side. Solid, tough, no nonsense. Onto the next one.

Ferland Mendy (LB) - 7/10 - Fairly solid on his flank. Never really threatened although did lose his man on a couple of occasions. Growing.

2. Midfielders

Luka Modric (CM) - 7/10 - Dragged a decent chance wide early on. Played some neat football and always looked to penetrate Atleti's midfield.

Casemiro (CM) - 8/10 - Broke the deadlock with a perfect header into the near post. Collected a standard yellow card for cutting down Felix in motion.

Toni Kroos (CM) - 8/10 - Superb delivery to plonk the ball on Casemiro's head for the opening goal. Inches from winning a penalty, but was brought down just outside the box.

3. Forwards

Lucas Vazquez (RW) - 7/10 - Much more comfortable in his more offensive role than in previous weeks. Moved back later on to give Carvajal a breather.

Karim Benzema (ST) - 8/10 - Rattled the woodwork with a fierce drive on ten minutes. Fluffed his lines seconds after with a volley. So, so good at bringing others into the game. A masterclass in playing for the team.

Vinicius Junior (LW) - 6/10 - Tricky, but flitted in and out of the game. A threat at times, but nothing to shout about.

4. Substitutes

Rodrygo (RW) - 6/10

Marco Asensio (LW) - 7/10

Federico Valverde (CM) - 6/10

ATLETICO MADRID

5. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Jan Oblak (GK) - 7/10 - Monstrous save to deny Benzema with the firmest of fingertips. Had no chance in stopping Casemiro's opener. So unfortunate that the ball rebounded off his back for the second.

Stefan Savic (CB) - 7/10 - Looked agitated all night and got into plenty of arguments with the referee and opponents. I wouldn't fancy facing him.

Felipe (CB) - 6/10 - Solid first half, but sacrificed at half-time as Simeone changed the shape of his side.

Mario Hermoso (CB) - 7/10 - Almost handed Real the lead by surrendering possession deep in his own half. Little chance to stop either goal.

6. Wing-Backs & Midfielders

Kieran Trippier (RWB) - 6/10 - Put in some good deliveries from wide and defended well, but it just wasn't meant to be. A tough evening against Vinicius.

Hector Herrera (CM) - 5/10 - Slipped in his attempts to mark Casemiro from the corner, and left his goalkeeper with no chance. Didn't do enough to maintain his place for the second half.

Koke (CM) - 5/10 - Almost sparked a mass brawl by hammering the ball into Vinicius' shins after the whistle had blown. Tetchy. Offered less in open play.

Marcos Llorente (CM) - 6/10 - Fairly anonymous and struggled against the strength of Casemiro and the guile of Kroos and Modric. Better than others, though.

Yannick Carrasco (LWB) - 5/10 - Pretty tame first half as Carvajal very much had his number. Not allowed to play any further part - subbed at half-time.

7. Forwards

Joao Felix (ST) - 6/10 - Struggled to get on the ball, but always caused chaos and panic when he did. Not at his sparkling best, and subbed early in the second half.

Luis Suarez (ST) - 5/10 - Intent on making his mark against an old foe. Unfortunately didn't get anywhere near threatening the goal.

8. Substitutes

Renan Lodi (LB) - 7/10

Angel Correa (RW) - 6/10

Thomas Lemar (LW) - 5/10

Saul Niguez (CM) - 7/10

Geoffrey Kondogbia (CM) - 6/10