It was easy enough in the end. Real Madrid beat city rivals Rayo Vallecano 5-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to return to the top of La Liga in the 11th round of matches and Gareth Bale played a pivotal part as he scored the first goal of the night. With the Welshman included instead of Isco, however, Carlo Ancelotti's side lost some of their balance on Saturday.
