Liverpool's ability to react to adversity in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest proves the Reds are rediscovering their belief, according to two-goal hero Diogo Jota.
Liverpool were tested by the relegation candidates as goals from Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out Jota's brace, but Mohamed Salah's close-range finish ensured the Reds edged a back-and-forth encounter at Anfield.
While competing for a top-four Premier League finish looks a tall order for Jurgen Klopp's men, they have now clinched back-to-back victories after enduring a five-game winless run.
Liverpool also recovered from two goals down to draw with league leaders Arsenal before their victories over Leeds United and Forest, and Jota hopes to build on their improved run of form.
"Twice [we had to respond]. I think that is important, that shows that the team is believing more in ourselves each time, and that's really important to take for the future," he told the club's website.
"It gives confidence to the team. We believe in what we are doing and against Arsenal the win was there for us, but unfortunately in the end we could not take it.
"But it's two in a row already and this is the only way we can fight to be in the highest possible position in the table."
Having also scored twice in a 6-1 rout of Leeds on Monday, Jota has hit four goals in his last two Premier League games after failing to score in his previous 20 appearances in the competition.
Reflecting on the end of his goal drought, Jota said: "I said before the first goal, it's always hard when it doesn't arrive so easily, but then everything seems to flow."
Erik ten Hag claimed Manchester United are now a "different team" to that which began his reign with a dismal defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against the same opponents.
Last August, Ten Hag became the first United boss to lose his first Premier League game in charge since Louis van Gaal in 2014, as Pascal Gross scored twice in Brighton's 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
That result was swiftly followed by a crushing 4-0 defeat at Brentford, but United have since recovered to lift the EFL Cup and lead the race for final two top-four places.
On Sunday, Brighton will attempt to deny United a place in a record-equalling 21st FA Cup final, and Ten Hag believes the Seagulls will be facing a much-improved team at Wembley Stadium.
"I've heard from many experts and the fans that we've made progress and developed," Ten Hag said. "We're a different team now, but we know we have steps to go. That's quite clear.
"I can speak after Seville, it's quite clear. No team always plays at the highest level, I know, but even if you don't play at the highest level, you still have to win. That is what we have to learn."
The FA Cup represents United's last chance to win a second piece of silverware in Ten Hag's debut campaign, following Thursday's dire Europa League elimination at the hands of Sevilla.
Having described United's performance in that game as "unacceptable", Ten Hag was asked whether he replicates Alex Ferguson's use of the 'hairdryer treatment' following poor displays.
"Sometimes yes, I can go strong in certain situations," he said. "It's a tool, but it's about the timing.
"You need to know when to use it. As a coach, you can pick many communication styles, and this is one of them.
"[On Thursday], you could tell I was really mad. For me, it was so unacceptable. You can make a mistake, but you have to carry on.
"If you play in the quarter-final of the Europa League, you have to give everything and we didn't.
"For any club in my view, that is unacceptable. As a manager, I cannot accept that my team is not giving its best. I would never accept it and the players were made aware of this."
Chris Paul said he has "never played with this much talent" after helping the Phoenix Suns to an imposing 3-1 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round playoff series.
The Suns are among the favourites to reach the Conference Finals from the West given a stacked roster that now includes Kevin Durant alongside Paul and Devin Booker.
Paul (19 points), Durant (31 points) and Booker (30 points) all contributed in Saturday's 112-100 victory, which leaves the Suns one win away from progressing.
At 37, Paul – who spent seven years at the Clippers – has been around the block but this crop of Phoenix stars is among the best he has seen assembled.
"I've never played with this much talent," said Paul, who drained 12 of his points in the fourth quarter.
"Where people are doubling off of me. I've never seen so many open shots.
"It's something that I'm getting used to. Trying to figure out when to pick your spots, when to be aggressive. We're figuring this thing out on the fly. I'm just happy that a few of them fell tonight."
The Suns were sloppy at the start of the second half, giving up seven straight points in the opening minute, leading to Paul aiming a few choice words at the team from the bench.
"I think the way the third quarter started, I was p*****. We all was," Paul added.
"We were on the bench sort of going at each other. But it's healthy. Just trying to get us going. I tried to get myself going defensively. The shots, they're going to come."
One potential concern is a lack of depth, with Durant (45), Booker (42) and Paul (38) racking up big minutes – indeed the former two players are clocking an average of 43 minutes in the playoffs.
But Durant gave short shrift to the idea of being overworked.
"How'd I look tonight?" Durant said. "I felt great. I missed a lot of time this season.
"I want to be out there every minute. I wish I could play 48 every game."
Durant also had high praise for Clippers star Russell Westbrook, who had a game-high 37 points.
Westbrook endured a tough spell at the Clippers' rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, but Durant said he is among the best in the business.
"People going to always criticise when you're successful and doing your thing for this long. Russ has been resilient his whole life. He comes to work, doesn't say much. Just come hoop," Durant added.
"When he retires, people are going to really tell the truth about his game. Right now, the fun thing to do is to make a joke out of Russ. But the way he's been playing since he got with the Clippers is showing everybody who he really is."
LeBron James said it was not about making a statement after helping the Los Angeles Lakers take a 2-1 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies following a flashpoint with Dillon Brooks.
A raucous sell-out crowd at Crypto.com Arena roared the Lakers onto a 111-101 victory in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series.
James had 25 points, while Anthony Davis had 31 and 17 rebounds in a game where the Lakers raced into a 35-9 first-quarter lead.
The Grizzlies saw Ja Morant put up 45 points after missing one game with a sore right hand and also had Brooks ejected 17 seconds into the third quarter for a flagrant foul when he struck James in the groin.
It did not take the officials long to toss Brooks from the game, but James said the focus was merely on getting the win on the board.
"I didn't make a statement," James said. "I've been doing this too long.
"I'm not making any statements. We had the opportunity to come home and play well on our home floor, and we did that. No statement was made.
"We just wanted to play well, and we got a win. I don't need to make statements."
Brooks had been taunted by the Lakers crowd all game and head coach Darvin Ham said the vociferous home support was crucial in their efforts.
"I thought our crowd was phenomenal," Ham said. "Really felt them in the building. Thank God we gave them something to cheer about, the way we came out."
While Brooks did not address the media, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins merely said of the incident: "Officials made a call."
Morant scored 22 consecutive points for the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter, while he also had 13 assists and nine rebounds. Ultimately, though, Memphis' lowest first-quarter return in franchise history proved too big an obstacle to overcome.
"I think we won by double digits in the last three quarters, so obviously that first quarter pretty much hurt us," Morant said.
"I feel pretty good. Obviously some stuff you've just got to play through and tolerate.
"In that fourth quarter, I was just trying to win the game. Got it going pretty good, making shots, and just couldn't get it over that hump."
The Miami Heat will wait on scan results on a worrying knee injury to Victor Oladipo that soured Saturday's 121-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of their first round series.
Oladipo went down on a drive to the bucket following a foul from Bobby Portis with 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, immediately clutching his left knee with an ominous look on his face.
The injury-cursed Heat guard was eventually assisted off the court by Miami's coaching staff, including head coach Erik Spoelstra, with the home court crowd cheering him out.
"We'll just have to see," Spoelstra said. "I feel like throwing up right now, but I don't know what the prognosis is. I want to stay positive on this, and we'll just see what happens."
Oladipo was restricted to only eight games in the 2021-22 season due to injury and only 33 during the 2020-21 campaign across three teams.
The injury soured a win that saw the Eastern Conference eight seed go 2-1 up with home court advantage for Game 4 against the top-seeded Bucks.
"It was a great win, but when you see a player go down like that and particularly a player like Vic, who has gone through so much in the last three years - I don't know what it is right now, so I don't want to jump the gun on anything," Spoelstra said. "But that's definitely not a good feeling to see."
The Bucks-Heat series has been riddled with injuries, with Giannis Antetokounmpo (bruised lower back) and Tyler Herro (broken hand) both unavailable for Game 3.
The Heat's injury concerns got worse with top scorer Jimmy Butler taking a hard fall in the third quarter and exiting the game with a bruised glute after 30 points in 28 minutes.
"He went back to the locker room and said, 'Hey, just give me a couple minutes, I'll be ready to go,'" Spoelstra said.
"I was going to insert him back into the game if it broke 15, but the second unit all night long gave us a tremendous boost."
The Bucks missed MVP candidate Antetokounmpo, shooting 44.7 per cent from the field and gifting 18 turnovers, while Miami scored 46 points in the paint compared to Milwaukee's 36.
"We'll continue to monitor him through the day tomorrow, through the day the next day," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters pre-game about Antetokounmpo's status.
"He's not in a place where he can go, so we'll just continue to monitor and work with him and hope for the best."
Anthony Davis bounced back while LeBron James scored 25 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 2-1 first-round series lead with a 111-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Ja Morant returned from a hand injury for the Grizzlies, scoring a game-high 45 points, including 22 in a row for his team in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena.
But the damage was done early, as the Grizzlies shot three-of-25 in the first quarter as the Lakers raced to a 35-9 lead.
Dillon Brooks was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul early in the third quarter following a hit to James' midsection, following tension between the pair after the former's comments after Game 2.
James put that aside to score 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting with nine rebounds, while Davis scored a team-high 31 points with 17 rebounds and three blocks.
The Grizzlies scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to close to 53-37 at half-time but were not helped by Brooks' ejection with 11:43 left in the third.
The Lakers kept Memphis at arm's length for most of the game, although Morant's remarkable fourth-quarter scoring run offered hope, getting within 10 points after a three-pointer with 2:54 left.
Jaren Jackson Jr lost the battle against Davis, contributing 13 points with five rebounds while Desmond Bane was kept to 18 points on three-of-seven three-point shooting. Morant made six-of-10 three-pointers, with 13 assists and nine rebounds.
Heat upset Bucks but left with injury worries
The Miami Heat claimed a 2-1 series lead with a 121-99 victory over the Eastern Conference top seed Milwaukee Bucks who were without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a bruised lower back again.
But the excitement for the Heat was quelled by a worrying knee injury suffered late by Victor Oladipo, while Jimmy Butler battled a sore glute.
Butler top scored for Miami with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in 28 minutes. Duncan Robinson, on his 29th birthday, added 20 points on five-of-six three-point shooting.
Milwaukee shot at 44.7 per cent from the field, giving up 18 turnovers. Khris Middleton top scored with 23 points and six assists but was guilty for five turnovers.
Nets swept again, Suns go 3-1 up
The Brooklyn Nets suffered a first-round series sweep for the second straight year after the Philadelphia 76ers triumphed 96-88 in Game 4 despite the absence of Joel Embiid.
Tobias Harris scored a game-high 25 points with 12 rebounds, while James Harden had 17 points on four-of-18 shooting with eight rebounds and 11 assists. Embiid was out due to sprained right knee.
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie managed a team-high 20 points and Nic Claxton had 19 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks.
The Phoenix Suns took a 3-1 lead in their series against the Los Angeles Clippers with a 112-100 win headlined by Kevin Durant's 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Devin Booker's 30 points.
Randy Arozarena was the hero as the Tampa Bay Rays set a major league record for scoring homers in each of their first 21 games in a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Arozarena brought up the milestone with a two-run blast over left-center field in the first inning, before hitting a walkoff RBI single in the 10th.
The Rays, who started the season with 13 straight wins, improved their record to 18-3, marking the best start by any side in the majors since the New York Yankees in 2003.
Tampa Bay also broke the Seattle Mariners' 2019 record of homering in 20 straight games to start that season.
The game was in the balance after homers from Eloy Jimenez and Yasmani Grandal for the White Sox, before Arozarena singled to left for Diaz to score at the bottom of the fifth.
Gavin Sheets squared the game up with a homer to right field at the top of the eighth, before Arozarena settled the game.
Jimmy Lambert intentionally walked Wander Franco with two out and a runner on second, before Arozarena's first-pitch single to right field, driving in Vidal Brujan. Arozarena finished with four RBIs.
Shane McClanahan sent down 10 strikeouts across six innings, while White Sox starter Dylan Cease had five K's.
Garcia crushed three HRs in Rangers rout
Adolis Garcia blasted three home runs and eight RBIs in five innings as the Texas Rangers smoked the Oakland Athletics 18-3.
Garcia blasted a two-run 432-foot homer at the bottom of the first, repeating the dose in the third inning with a 419-foot bomb over center.
The Rangers outfielder made it 13-2 at the bottom of the fifth with 401-feet blast, before a two-run double in the seventh capped a remarkable showing, taking his season tally to seven homers and 28 RBIs.
Garcia went five-for-four, becoming the third player since 1901 with at least 16 total bases, three homers, eight RBIs and five runs in a single game.
Tatis homers for first time since 2021
Fernando Tatis Jr blasted his first home run since returning from an 80-game drug suspension as the San Diego Padres won 5-3 over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tatis, in his third game back since the suspension elapsed, crushed a 374-foot homer over left field for his first blast since 2021. The Padres outfielder led the majors for homers in 2021, with 42.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove earned his first win of the season, following a toe injury sustained in the weight room during spring training, striking out six, giving up three runs on seven hits.
The Winnipeg Jets have been dealt a major blow with Josh Morrissey ruled out of the rest of their Stanley Cup first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights after Saturday's 5-4 double overtime loss.
Morrissey has had a career-best season, with 76 points in 78 games while averaging a team-high 24:14 per game, but collided knee on knee with Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud after four minutes in Saturday's game.
The Jets' All-Star defenseman favoured his right leg following the incident and exited down the tunnel and did not return.
Jets coach Rick Bowness confirmed the injury after the thrilling loss where Winnipeg had rallied back from 4-1 down, only to lose in OT, with VGK opening up a 2-1 series lead.
"It was very unfortunate to lose Morrissey, he's got a lower body [injury] and he's done for the series," he said.
"We've played all year long with a lot of injuries, every team does. You have the next man up. He's a top five D in this league right now. He plays important minutes. He drives the offense so he's a big hole.
"We played the rest of the game without him. We scored four. We're going to have the play the rest of the seirs without him because this series is far from over."
Adam Lowry had tied the game with 21.9 seconds left in regulation, capping the Jets' three-goal third period comeback, after goals from Nino Niederreiter and Mark Scheifele.
But Michael Amadio scored at 3:40 of the second overtime to earn the Golden Knights a crucial road win.
Bowness added: "That was a hell of a hockey game. The crowd was fantastic. The guys laid it all out on the line. They played their hearts out.
"We're down three going into the third and we kept fighting. There's no quitting in this group."
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy praised his experienced side for clinching victory after letting slip their three-goal lead.
"You shouldn’t give up a lead when you have a veteran group, you should find a way to get it to the finish line," he said.
"We're also a veteran group who can put it behind us. If you've followed our team all year, we've found different ways to win."
On Morrissey's injury, Cassidy added: "Obviously that’s a heavy minute, highly productive player that they'll miss. Their depth will have to come through for them.
"It's a tough break in the playoffs to lose a guy like that but it won't change how we're going to play."
Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler retained their lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a third-round 62 in Saturday's four-ball.
The duo carded a 10-under 62 to be 26-under overall heading into the final day, leading by one stroke from Keith Mitchell and Sung-jae Im at TPC Louisiana.
The three teams are tied for third at 23-under overall, in Vincent Norrman and Matthias Schwab, Matthew NeSmith and Taylor Moore, and Nick Hardy and Davis Riley.
Clark and Hossler produced a bogey-free round with 10 birdies, including three in a row to start the back nine.
Clark birdied the 18th to ensure their solo lead from Mitchell and Im, who also went without a bogey for the round with the South Korean providing six front-nine birdies.
Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick also managed a third-round 62 to be 21-under overall, tied for seventh alongside two other teams.
Reigning champions Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay could only manage a six-under 66 on Saturday to slip down the leaderboard at 20-under overall.
Charley Hoffman, playing alongside Nick Watney, provided a highlight with a hole-in-one on the par-three ninth hole. The duo are back at 17-under overall.
The stroke play tournament concludes with the alternate shot format on Sunday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out again for the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of Saturday's Game 3 in their NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, reports said.
Battling a bruised lower back, which he suffered in the series opener, the two-time NBA MVP had to miss the second game and remains on the injured list.
The Bucks had listed Antetokounmpo as doubtful on Tuesday after an X-ray and MRI scan both came back clean, and the problem has not gone away.
The Greek forward averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, sitting in the NBA's top five for both categories.
Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks drew level in the seven-game series by winning 138-122 on Wednesday.
Thibaut Courtois insisted Real Madrid have not given up hope of catching LaLiga leaders Barcelona and dramatically retaining their title.
It would take a Barcelona collapse and consistent winning from Madrid to transform the situation at the top of the Spanish top flight.
Although Madrid won 2-0 on Saturday against Celta Vigo to trim Barcelona's lead to eight points, the Catalans had a home game against Atletico Madrid coming up on Sunday.
Were Barcelona to win that, their lead would be back to 11 points with eight rounds of games remaining. Even if Barcelona were to lose, their lead would still be such that they would remain firm title favourites.
Still, Madrid see no reason to give up hope, with goalkeeper Courtois telling broadcaster DAZN: "We are going to fight until the last game, until it is mathematically impossible."
He said it was "a pity" Madrid had dropped points at times this season but signalled that Champions League commitments can impact on domestic results.
Last season saw Madrid pull off a Champions League and LaLiga double, and they are through to the semi-finals in Europe once again this term, with home and away games against Manchester City coming up in May, plus a Copa del Rey final against Osasuna.
That cup showdown comes on May 6, and Courtois said: "We want to win on the next three matchdays and when the time comes for the cup final, we'll see how far away we are.
"We want to keep winning and have a good feeling ahead of the Champions League. It's key that we're all well. Hopefully we end the season well."
Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti made five changes to his starting XI, four days on from his team's 2-0 win at Chelsea that clinched a 4-0 aggregate quarter-final win against his former club in the Champions League.
Marco Asensio, one of those brought in, rifled the opening goal, and his corner set up Eder Militao to head the second.
"Making an XI is complicated, because we are lucky to have a plugged in dressing room," Ancelotti said. "We must rotate, because this part of the season is very demanding."
The veteran coach was concerned about the playing surface and said the Santiago Bernabeu pitch "has to improve", while Ancelotti also paid tribute to the all-action Eduardo Camavinga, thriving at left-back after the 20-year-old was recently switched from midfield.
Camavinga had a team-high 113 touches and completed six of seven dribbles, with both aspects being the most he has achieved in a LaLiga game for Madrid.
"He has extraordinary quality. He has energy and is complete," said Ancelotti. "As such, he can play any position successfully."
The Philadelphia 76ers will need Joel Embiid back for the Eastern Conference semi-finals, despite their Game 4 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
That is according to Tyrese Maxey, who labelled team-mate Embiid as a "leader", though the Sixers secured a 4-0 series sweep of the Nets without him on Saturday.
Embiid led the league for points per game in the regular season (33.1), but suffered a knee sprain in Game 3 against Brooklyn.
While a series comeback still seemed unlikely, the Nets had some hope on Saturday when they led by eight at half-time at Barclays Center, only for the Sixers to fight back and take the game 96-88.
Philadelphia will face either the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semis, which the Celtics lead 2-1 ahead of Game 4 on Sunday, and Maxey hopes Embiid can be back in time.
"It starts with Joel," the Sixers guard said. "He's the leader of this team and for him, he takes the guys before the game and he told us good luck and we appreciate him for that. And we need him to get healthy."
Tobias Harris top-scored with 25 on Saturday, while James Harden had an impressive outing with 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and he echoed Maxey's comments.
"Obviously, today was big for us, so we can get [the] big fella healthy," Harden said. "That's priority number one."
Coach Doc Rivers had explained the situation with Embiid before the game, but clarified further afterwards, suggesting the Cameroonian perhaps has a "50 per cent" chance of making it for the next round.
"I just don't know," he said. "I would say, right now, it's probably the same percentage I said before the game... probably 50 per cent, at best."
Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri has called for resignations over the decision to overturn Juventus' 15-point deduction in Serie A.
The Bianconeri were hit with the penalty in January after an investigation into a capital gains case, with the club found guilty of alleged breaches in relation to historical transfers.
However, Juve's appeal to have the deduction revoked proved successful, with the Collegio di Garanzia announcing on Thursday the penalty has been annulled.
The Italian Football Federation (FICG) could yet punish Juve again after re-evaluating the case, but for now they have jumped to third in Serie A.
Massimiliano Allegri's men have the chance to leapfrog Lazio into second should they beat leaders Napoli on Sunday, but Sarri is not happy with how the situation has been handled.
"From a legal point of view, I don't have the knowledge to be able to give an opinion," he said following Lazio's 1-0 home loss to Torino on Saturday.
"But from a sporting point of view, the championship is distorted. For months there was a ranking, but now it's different and could change.
"I hope someone in sports justice has the good taste to resign."
Sarri's mood was not helped by what he thought was a poor display from the officials in the loss to Torino, with Ivan Ilic's first-half goal proving the difference.
"The refereeing had an impact," he said. "[Elseid] Hysaj should have had a penalty, and Torino's goal came from a throw-in metres inside the pitch. It influenced the game.
"I wonder how seven people didn’t see these things. The boys were good – there was a risk of being reduced to nine or 10 men with these referees."
Marco Asensio and Eder Militao ensured there was no Champions League hangover for Real Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti's side scored a comfortable 2-0 win over Celta Vigo in LaLiga.
Buoyed by a 2-0 win over Chelsea in London that secured a place in the European semi-finals, it was back to the grind of domestic league duties on Saturday.
A glamorous semi-final against Manchester City awaits Madrid next month, after a Copa del Rey final clash with Osasuna, but in the league Los Blancos have been off the pace this season.
They trimmed Barcelona's lead at the top to eight points with this win, secured by Asensio's strike late in the first half and Militao's header soon after the break. Curiously, this was a fourth successive 2-0 victory for Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni headed waywardly from an early chance for the hosts, before Karim Benzema took aim from 25 yards and found row Z.
Asensio had a shot deflect over the Celta bar and Nacho ripped a strike over the angle of post and crossbar as pressure grew and the men in white swarmed.
Madrid were missing the midfield brains trust of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, both rested to the bench, but they broke through in the 42nd minute when Vinicius Junior's low cross from the left was clipped into the right corner by Asensio. It was his eighth goal of the league campaign, and a seventh assist for Vinicius.
A thumping header from Militao doubled Madrid's lead in the 48th minute as he darted in to convert Asensio's inswinging corner from the right.
Iago Aspas squandered a chance to trim the lead as he shot over the Madrid bar, before Benzema almost made it 3-0 when he got on the end of a swift burst from the hosts. Vinicius tore down the left and flicked a smart cross to the near post, but Benzema's powerful header was brilliantly blocked by goalkeeper Ivan Villar. It hardly mattered, with Madrid effectively already home and hosed.
What does it mean? Madrid test their resources and the results bode well
This outcome was not exactly unexpected. After all, Madrid came into the game having not lost any of their last 17 matches against Celta in LaLiga (W15 D2).
Coming four days after clinching progress in Europe, however, it was one where Madrid needed to show they have a sharp enough focus, whatever the occasion.
Coach Ancelotti made five changes, with only one of them forced on him by an injury to David Alaba, and those who came in, including Asensio, proved worth their place.
Considering Madrid will need to draw on their squad depth over a hectic run of games in the next six weeks, this was a good sign.
Asensio takes his chance
Promoted to the starting line-up as Rodrygo reverted to bench duty following his double at Chelsea, Asensio made the most of his opportunity.
His strike looked to take a deflection on its way in, but they all count, and it was his corner that set up Madrid's killer second goal.
Asensio's run-out lasted 76 minutes, in which time he managed four attempts on goal, two of which went on target, but a team-high six key passes.
Familiar story for Celta defence
There was scant chance of a shutout for the visitors here. Indeed, the result means Celta have still kept just one clean sheet in their 57 away games against Madrid in LaLiga (W6 D6 L45), and that clean sheet came as far back as March 1977, in a 0-0 draw.
They have scored in just one of their last 11 league visits to face Madrid, and this was a sixth successive defeat on LaLiga duty against Los Blancos, the third time that has happened.
What's next?
Madrid travel to Girona on Tuesday in their next LaLiga assignment, while Celta host league whipping boys Elche on the following day.
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