Real Madrid vs Leganes – Five talking points from Real’s 4-1 win

Real Madrid have got off to the best possible start in LaLiga as they have registered their third successive win as they beat their cross-city rivals Leganes 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu last night. Gareth Bale opened the scoring for Real Madrid before Guido Carrillo equalized with a neatly taken penalty.

Karim Benzema scored a brace before skipper Sergio Ramos scored yet another penalty to seal the game for Real Madrid. Let us take a look at five talking points from Real's clash against Leganes.

Karim Benzema thrives without Cristiano

Ever since making his debut for Real Madrid in 2009, Karim Benzema has been playing together with Cristiano Ronaldo till the Portuguese winger was at the club. Now that the former number 7 has left the club, the fans are seeing a different version of Karim Benzema.

After scoring a brace against Girona last week, Benzema registered yet another brace against Leganes last night. First, he scored with a header and VAR replays confirmed that there was no foul intended by the Frenchman and the goal stood. A few minutes later, he scored his second, thanks to a brilliant work from Luka Modric and Benzema did well to put the ball into the bottom right corner to make it 3-1.

With this, he has taken his tally to four goals in just three matches, his fastest to score four league goals since joining the club. Also, he overtook Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring against 32 different LaLiga teams as Leganes is the 33rd team Benzema has scored against.
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Gareth Bale on fire

Ever since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, the pressure on Welshman Gareth Bale to deliver increased and the winger hasn't put a foot wrong for Los Blancos so far as he has scored for them in all the three league matches and took his tally to four goals this season.

After a dominant start, Dani Carvajal found Sergio Ramos' raking ball down the right wing and the full-back headed the ball into the middle where Bale did well to meet on the volley with his weaker right foot and put the ball into the net to open the scoring. Leganes keeper Ivan Cuellar tried to stop it from entering the goal but his stop with his weak palm only changed the direction of Bale's strike on its way into the net. Julen Lopeteugi will expect more goals from his talisman Gareth Bale in the coming matches.
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Thibaut Courtois' not-so-perfect Real Madrid debut

Thibaut Courtois was handed his Real Madrid debut and it didn't go well with a lot of fans, especially after Keylor Navas presented his UEFA goalkeeper of the season award to the fans at the Bernabeu. After the kind of week the Costa Rican international has had, he could have played this match before Courtois eventually gets his place in the team.

Though Courtois had a good game, he conceded a goal off the first shot on goal he faced for Real Madrid. After Casemiro conceded a penalty, striker Guido Carrillo sent the Belgian international to the wrong side and slotted the ball to the bottom left corner and denied Courtois a clean sheet.
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Spanish players impress before Luis Enrique

After naming his first-ever Spanish team as their manager, Luis Enrique was at the stands at the Santiago Bernabeu watching the proceedings and his players were impressive under the watchful eyes of their manager.

Dani Carvajal did well throughout the match while Sergio Ramos netted his third goal of the season in as many matches. Marco Asensio was too fast to handle and gave an assist before earning the penalty for Ramos' goal. Isco and Dani Ceballos, who came on as substitutes for Luka Modric and Asensio respectively, did well and have made a case for themselves to start for Spain in the upcoming international friendlies.
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Perfect start for the European champions

The 33-time LaLiga champions have won just two titles since the turn of the decade and will look to win the league yet again. They are off to a great start in the competition as they won their first three matches and are sitting at the top of the table with nine points in three matches.

This is the first time in a while that Los Blancos have won their first three league matches. The brand of Football they have been playing under Lopeteugi has been scintillating and it won't be a surprise if this turns out to be their season. But, it is too early to judge as the league has 35 more matches to go. But, it is safe to say that Real Madrid have started the tournament on a great note.