Vinicius Junior scored and produced a scintillating display as Real Madrid warmed up for their midweek El Clasico cup clash against Barcelona with a comfortable win over Alaves.
Karim Benzema tapped home his sixth goal in four games from Sergio Reguilon's cross to give the European champions the lead. Vinicius, 18, made it 2-0 from close range for his first La Liga goal. And in stoppage time Mariano Diaz's diving header sealed an easy victory.
Real are now only two points behind city rivals Atletico Madrid, who suffered a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis earlier on Sunday (Feb 3).
They have also closed the gap to arch-rivals F. C. Barcelona to eight points. The two Spanish giants face each other in the first leg of Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.
Real's Wales forward Gareth Bale, making his first league start for a month, had a quiet game and was substituted in the 63rd minute.
His fellow attacker Vinicius stole the show with a fantastic display on both wings - his standout moment came in the second half when he produced a series of tricks in the area while surrounded by three Alaves players.
