Karim Benzema became Real Madrid’s fifth all-time leading goalscorer with a double in a victory over Valencia, which closed the gap on league leaders Barcelona to two points.
Benzema, 32, has now netted 243 goals in all competitions for Real, overtaking Ferenc Puskas’ tally.
Ex-Chelsea forward Eden Hazard set up his first goal on the hour before Benzema scored a stunning late volley.
Substitute Marco Asensio scored Real’s second with his first touch.
Benzema’s second goal, which came deep into the second half, was a superb piece of skill, involving a flick and volley which caused manager Zinedine Zidane to put his head in his hands in disbelief.
The Frenchman’s goal, assisted by substitute Asensio, capped off a brilliant second-half performance from Real.
Spaniard Asensio, who suffered a knee injury last summer and has missed almost the entirety of this season, came on in the 73rd minute and guided a volley from Ferland Mendy’s cross into the net 30 seconds later to make it 2-0.
