Real Madrid did not dominate Atlético de Madrid in the derby, but came away with the victory. A goal from Karim Benzema in the second half was enough to retain the leadership of LaLiga.
The mexican midfielder Héctor Herrera was contemplated to start the match, but was ruled out after suffering muscle discomfort before it.
Despite this, the rojiblancos did a good job in the first half and demanded another good performance from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The approaches of Atletico did not find a reply of the other side, and it was until almost the end of the first part that the Real approached with a shot of Modric that left deviated.
The moves of Zinedine Zidane had immediate effect in the second half. Lucas Vázquez and Vinicius Jr. entered to replace Isco and Kross, injecting a lot of dynamics into the midfield.
The game was defined when Benzema scored at 56 minute, and although the colchoneros tried to return to the game, their lack of joint play left them without resources.
Real Madrid is ahead on top of LaLiga with six points more than Barcelona, which plays on Sunday, February 2 against Levante.
