Julen Lopetegui's decision to rest stars including Marcelo, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos paid off as Real Madrid beat Espanyol 1-0 at home.
Real Madrid got back to winning ways in LaLiga and moved top of the table with a tight 1-0 home win against Espanyol secured thanks to Marco Asensio's first-half goal.
Madrid dropped their first points under Julen Lopetegui last time out at Athletic Bilbao but despite resting Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Toni Kroos they collected a vital victory on Saturday.
Former Espanyol star Asensio struck from Luka Modric's pass shortly before half-time, the goal surviving a review for offside, and Lopetegui opted to rest Karim Benzema for the final 30 minutes.