Real Madrid player ratings vs Espanyol: Vinicius Jr shows how it's done! Brazil star comes off the bench to shake Kylian Mbappe & Co into life after Thibaut Courtois howler

Los Blancos' stars took over when the Brazilian Ballon d'Or favourite entered the fray - and set up a comfortable win

Very few teams have the ability to bring a player so good off the bench. And for Real Madrid, who were in the midst of a fairly woeful performance, the introduction of Vinicius Jr was crucial. The Brazilian was handed a rare rest but brought Los Blancos to life after coming on, and saw a 1-0 deficit turn to a 4-1 win, masking yet another puzzling performance.

Los Blancos were a rather static side in the first half, relying too heavily on Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham for moments of inspiration. The result was a drab affair in which a sloppy Madrid created few clear chances.

Espanyol took advantage 10 minutes into the second half. Their opener was a slapstick thing, a targeted hoof up the pitch from the goalkeeper, into the path of Jofre Carreras, who darted down the wing and saw his speculative cross trickle in via the tangled legs of Thibaut Courtois.

Los Blancos needed four minutes to respond. Vinicius was the catalyst of it all after being introduced on the hour mark. He was crucial in the build up to the equaliser, as Dani Carvajal smashed the ball home. He was even more important in the second, his trivela pass falling perfectly to the feet of Rodrygo - who couldn't miss for 2-1. He found the net himself for the third, darting through the middle and tucking a left-footed effort into the bottom corner, before Mbappe buried a late fourth from the penalty spot.

Madrid weren't spellbinding here. Still, Vinicius showed that adding a very good player to a football match is ultimately an effective strategy.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Santiago Bernabeu...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (4/10):
Gave up a goal with a rare howler. Didn't have much else to do.
Dani Carvajal (6/10):
Skinned in the run up to the opener, but then scored an equalising goal, before being subbed off. A strange evening.
Eder Militao (6/10):
Slightly shaky at times on the ball - he's not quite back to his best after suffering a serious knee injury.
Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):
Given a run out in central defence, where he never really looked comfortable. Positionally a bit loose.
Fran Garcia (7/10):
Full of legs on the left, and made good on his license to get forward. Stung the keeper's palms with a fine effort.

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Midfield
Federico Valverde (7/10):
A dizzying, buzzing showing in central midfield. Won the ball back constantly. Isn't a tempo-setter in the way Madrid need, though.
Luka Modric (6/10):
A rare sloppy performance in which he looked pretty leggy at times.
Jude Bellingham (6/10):
Dropped a bit deeper at times to account for Modric's forward explorations. Did a lot of trying to dribble everyone. Could do with connecting play more.
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Attack
Arda Guler (6/10):
Didn't really have much of an involvement, but was rather harshly sacrificed for Vinicius when Los Blancos conceded.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Lively throughout in a mostly central role. Scored the fourth and assisted the third. Should perhaps try passing the ball every now and then - it worked the one time he actually did it.
Rodrygo (8/10):
Deployed on the left at first, with Vinicius handed a rest. Didn't do much on his own, but looked better when his national team-mate entered the fray. Scored the vital second.
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Subs & Manager
Vinicius Jr (9/10):
Madrid scored within minutes of him coming on - and he played a role in the build up. Added an assist, and then a goal of his own. Deadly and magnificent, all at once.
Lucas Vazquez (6/10):
An extra body for a tired Carvajal. Didn't do much wrong.
Endrick (7/10):
Won a penalty late on in pretty much his only involvement.
Toni Rudiger (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
Rotated pretty heavily, and didn't start his "big four" up front. His team were fairly awful for an hour... and then he brought his best player off the bench. Sometimes it's not exactly rocket science.