Real Madrid extended their winning streak in LaLiga to eight matches with a commanding 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, halting the Basque side’s 11-game unbeaten run at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The win temporarily returns Los Blancos to the top of the table.

Trent Alexander-Arnold returned to the starting XI for the first time since December and made an immediate impact, curling a cross in the fifth minute that Gonzalo García tucked into the net to give the hosts an early lead.

Real Sociedad might have opened the scoring earlier, as Mikel Oyarzabal’s long-range effort narrowly missed just a minute before, but the striker soon had his chance. Midway through the first half, a clumsy challenge by Dean Huijsen on Yangel Herrera earned the visitors a penalty, which Oyarzabal confidently converted down the middle to level the score.

Parity lasted only four minutes. A clip by Jon Aramburu inside the box brought down Vinicius Junior, and Real Madrid were awarded a penalty. With Kylian Mbappe absent, Vinicius stepped up and sent goalkeeper Alex Remiro the wrong way to restore the lead.

The home side doubled their advantage just past the half-hour mark. Álvaro Carreras threaded a pass to Federico Valverde, who turned sharply and fired from the edge of the area, leaving Remiro no chance. García then squandered a golden opportunity from six yards just before halftime, keeping the score at 3-1.

The second half saw another penalty awarded to Real Madrid in the opening minute after Aramburu fouled Vinicius inside the box again. This time, Remiro guessed correctly but could not stop Vinicius from scoring his second of the night, taking his league tally to eight goals.

Despite the match being effectively settled, Jon Martín attempted to spark a Sociedad comeback with a header from a corner, but Thibaut Courtois made a strong save. Real Madrid continued to dominate, and only a crucial clearance by Martín prevented Arda Guler from adding a fifth. Late opportunities for Orri Óskarsson and Vinicius were denied by the offside flag, ending Sociedad’s hopes of extending their unbeaten run to eight matches in LaLiga for the first time since November 2021.

For Real Madrid, the victory reinforces their perfect record when scoring first this season, now standing at 18 wins from 18 in such games.