Real Madrid 3-1 Espanyol: Real six points behind Barcelona before El Clasico
- Published
Real Madrid are now six points behind league leaders Barcelona
Real Madrid secured their first La Liga win in three matches as they came from behind to beat Espanyol.
Espanyol started positively as Joselu put the Catalan strugglers ahead after eight minutes.
But goals from Vinicius Jr and Eder Militao turned Real's fortunes around, and they saw out victory with a late Marco Asensio strike.
Real, who are six points off the top with an extra game played, face leaders Barcelona in El Clasico next weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti's usage of Eduardo Camavinga as a makeshift left-back proved unwise as he was beaten on the wing by Ruben Sanchez, who provided the delivery for the opener.
Joselu's first-time finish was his 12th league goal of the season, moving him up the standings to become the division's third-highest scorer.
Real looked re-energised after going behind and drew level when Vinicius cut inside from the edge of the box before directing his effort through a sea of players and into the far corner.
Militao ensured the hosts led at the break when he rose highest to nod an Aurelien Tchouameni cross in off the underside of the crossbar.
Asensio sealed victory in added time when he coolly slotted past Fernando Pacheco after an excellent run from Real defender Nacho.
The result means Espanyol will begin to look over their shoulders once again, sitting two points above the drop zone with a game more played than the bottom three.