Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid came from a goal down to beat Levante 4-2 on Sunday evening.
Levante took a shock lead after five minutes when Gustavo Cabral produced a powerful header after poor marking from the Madrid defence.
As expected, the home side took control of possession as the half wore on and Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain were both thwarted by smart saves from Gustavo Munua after 14 minutes.
Munua denied Ronaldo once more moments later, while Karim Benzema had a goal correctly ruled offside as Levante continued to resist the constant pressure.
The stats of 75% home possession told the story of the first half, and it came as no surprise when Madrid got their equaliser just before the break.
Levante's Vicente Iborra was dismissed from play after he handled the ball inside the area, and Ronaldo stepped up to level moments before half time.
Madrid moved into the lead after 50 minutes when Higuain found Ronaldo, and he added his 26th league goal of the season with a powerful header.
It was 3-1 moments later when Ronaldo added his third, before Arouna Kone cut the score to 3-2 after 63 minutes.
In an eventful period in the match, Benzema soon added the home side's fourth with a cool finish after he had been found by Ronaldo.
Levante refused to lay down in the latter stages, however, but it was the home side who always looked more likely to add another goal, and a combination of blocks from the Levante defence stopped Ronaldo grabbing his fourth in stoppage time.
Madrid have moved ten points clear of Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title.
Matt Law
