Javier Hernandez scored twice as Real Madrid survived a rigorous examination of their title credentials by beating Celta Vigo 4-2 to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona.
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Hernandez, who fired Real into the semi-finals of the Champions League this week, replicated those heroics on the domestic stage to help clinch a win that saw them move back to within two points of Barca.
Carlo Ancelotti's side came into the contest knowing that victory was essential in order to keep the pressure on the Catalans, who moved five points clear at the summit yesterday.
However, Nolito opened the scoring on 10 minutes with a goal that would have been celebrated just as passionately some 1000km away in Catalunya.
The Celta hitman broke into double figures for the season when he danced in between a couple of defenders before firing past the unsighted Iker Casillas to give Celta a shock lead.
It was the wake-up call that Los Blancos needed as Real flipped the game on its head within 14 minutes of the opener. First, Toni Kroos levelled up with a neat finish following good work from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Then, Hernandez - on loan from Manchester United - netted his second in the space of four days, combining well with James Rodriguez before finding the net from an acute angle.
In an end-to-end encounter, the pendulum then swung in Celta's favour once more, as Santi Mina tapped into an empty net after his initial effort came back off the post.
Nevertheless, James was on hand to fire Madrid ahead once more in the dying stages of a thrilling first half, after Ronaldo had struck the post minutes earlier.
Hugo Mallo went close for the hosts early in the second half but the tempo inevitably decreased, with both sides failing to scale the heights evident in the first period.
The Mexican perhaps should have picked up his brace on 62 minutes by firing over the bar, but he made amends nine minutes later, latching on to Sergio Ramos's ball to finish past Sergio Alvarez.
Despite establishing a cushion for the first time, Madrid did not need one as Ancelotti's charges held on to their two-goal lead and kept pace with Barcelona in the final stretch of the season.
Shane Callaghan
