Cristiano Ronaldo struck a hat-trick as Real Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo for a record-equalling 18th successive victory in all competitions.

The Portuguese superstar stroked home a first-half penalty before adding two more in the second to reach the 200-goal barrier in La Liga.

Victory saw Carlo Ancelotti's side emulate Barcelona's record of 18 straight victories in the 2005-06 season, and Los Blancos will usurp the Catalans if they beat Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League next week.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at what proved to be a night of history at the Bernabeu.

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Match statistics

REAL MADRID
Shots: 17
On target: 11
Possession: 50%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 20

CELTA VIGO
Shots: 4
On target: 0
Possession: 50%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 15

Was the result fair?

Can a team who fail to register a single shot on target ever feel worthy of a point, let alone a victory? No, not really, and Celta can have absolutely no complaints over this defeat because they did nowhere near enough in the final third to warrant a good result.

It was so one-sided that Real barely needed Iker Casillas in goal by virtue of the fact that he did not have a shot to save all night. Celta perhaps deserve a bit of credit for their defensive performance in the first half, but that's about it. The result was completely fair.

Real Madrid's performance

It was a frustrating first 35 minutes for Carlo Ancelotti's men as they encountered a solid Celta side who seemed unwilling to become the 18th successive victim of this Real Madrid juggernaut, but Los Blancos carried on in the same vein and were eventually rewarded for their goal-mouth dominance when Jonny - who was superb overall - fouled Ronaldo, allowing the Portuguese the opportunity to convert a penalty.

However, their urgency dropped significantly early in the second half, allowing Celta to flirt with the prospect of restoring parity, but they laboured to a second goal on 65 minutes when Ronaldo volleyed past Sergio Alvarez at his near post, before the Portuguese completed his 23rd hat-trick in Spanish football later on.

It was a very comfortable win in the end but they dipped after the restart, and against a better team, with more firepower in the final third, they may have paid the penalty.

Celta Vigo's performance

Eduardo Berizzo's side gave a very good account of themselves throughout a first half that saw them repel wave after wave of attack from the hosts. Celta did not look like a team who had lost three of their last four games - including a shock 2-1 defeat to Segunda Division outfit Las Palmas in the Copa del Rey during the week.

They were brilliant defensively in the first half, but it was deficiencies at the other end of the field which made Real's 1-0 half-time lead seem far more comfortable than it should have been. Joaquin Larrivey was the player who scored in Celta's 1-0 win at Barcelona last month, but the striker was anonymous here, while Nolito, barring the odd free kick, also did very little threaten Casillas's goal.

Worryingly for Celta, they ended the game without a shot on target and, with their defensive performance also slipping in the second half, it is very difficult to extract positives for them tonight.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Cristiano Ronaldo: It's growing to be a boring choice, but Ronaldo is far and away the standout candidate for man of the match. He won and converted a first-half penalty to send Madrid into a deserved lead at the break, before grabbing two more in the second half to bag his 23rd La Liga hat-trick - a league record.

Biggest gaffe

He may be a centre-back, but Sergio Ramos still should have scored early on. The Spaniard found himself on the end of Ronaldo's knockdown header, but he thrashed well wide of the mark from all of five yards.

Referee performance

Undiano Mallenco had a relatively average performance tonight, though he did deserve the ear-bashing that he got from Dani Carvajal after booking the right-back for diving when replays showed that he was clearly fouled.

The penalty decision which led to the opening goal was also slightly contentious, but replays on that occasion were inconclusive as to whether or not he made the right call.

What next?

Real Madrid: Ancelotti's side host Ludogorets Razgrad in Madrid on Tuesday looking to finish their Champions League group-stage campaign with a 100% record.

Celta Vigo: Celta, meanwhile, resume their La Liga campaign with a visit to Malaga next Saturday.