10' X.Alonso (og) 0-1
52' I.Dragutinovic 0-2
60' C.Ronaldo 1-2
64' S.Ramos 2-2
90' R.v.d Vaart 3-2
Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Spain
Attendance: 75,000
Match Time: 21:00 UK
Official(s):
Eduardo Iturralde González (Referee)
Rafael van der Vaart struck a last-gasp winner as magnificent Real Madrid fought back from 2-0 down to beat Sevilla 3-2 and maintain their 100% home record and replace Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division table.
Substitute Van der Vaart stabbed the ball home in injury-time to help Madrid complete a stunning late comeback and move above Barca, who were held 2-2 at Almeria earlier in the evening.
The victory was no more than Madrid deserved following a scintillating attacking display and they will go into Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Lyon with confidence sky-high after making it 13 league wins out of 13 at home this season. Madrid trail 1-0 against Lyon from the first leg.
It had looked as though two defensive mistakes would cost Madrid dear, Xabi Alonso putting through his own goal early on and Ivica Dragutinovic's 35-yard free-kick somehow sneaking in after the break to put Sevilla 2-0 up.
However, Madrid hit back in style, netting twice in four minutes just after the hour-mark through Cristiano Ronaldo and former Sevilla player Sergio Ramos, before Van der Vaart sealed the match in incredible fashion.
This fixture always promised goals, with an average of 4.3 per game in the last 19 meetings between these two at the Bernabeu, and it was another classic tonight.
It helped that Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez, whose side won 4-3 here last term and beat Madrid 2-1 at home earlier this season, opted for an attacking line-up, starting with all three wingers Jesus Navas, Diego Capel and Diego Perotti.
And it was two of those widemen who combined to help give Sevilla a ninth-minute lead.
Navas' cross found its way through to Capel beyond the far post, and the left winger's ball back in was put into the corner of his own net by Alonso under pressure from Alvaro Negredo.
Sevilla's adventurous line-up looked set to cause Madrid problems, but once the home side adapted, it was virtually all one-way traffic towards the visitors net for the remainder of the match.
Madrid fashioned attack after attack and only some poor finishing and important stops from goalkeeper Andres Palop denied the hosts an equaliser before the break, with Marcelo (twice), Ronaldo (twice), Gonzalo Higuain and Ramos all going close.
Unsurprisingly, it was only Jimenez who made a change at the break even though his side were still winning, sacrificing Capel and sending on Frederic Kanoute in a bid to give dominant Madrid something else to think about.
And although Kanoute was no involved, Sevilla did manage to strike next to leave Madrid in all sorts of trouble.
The visitors won a soft-looking free-kick some way from goal but Dragutinovic's left-footed effort still found its way into the back of the Madrid net.
It was more of a ball into the area than a shot by Dragutinovic, but Alonso appeared to duck under the ball and a flat-footed Casillas could not keep it out.
Pellegrini responded to that with a double substitution, sending on Guti and Van der Vaart for Alvaro Arbeloa and Lassana Diarra, and it took the re-jigged Madrid just five minutes to pull a goal back.
Higuain did well to win back possession and Marcelo's deflected cross fell perfectly for Ronaldo to slam home his 14th goal of the season.
That gave Madrid the lifeline they needed, and within four minutes they were level.
Guti was unlucky to see his 25-yard piledriver strike the top of the crossbar, the shot taking a deflection as a corner was awarded, and from it Ramos glanced home Van der Vaart's cross.
With the atmosphere inside the Bernabeu electric, Madrid were looking rampant and both Higuain and Ramos narrowly failed to get on the end of Ronaldo's low cross.
Higuain then hit the woodwork twice in three minutes, curling a shot against the far post and then striking the crossbar. The chances continued to fall for Madrid, with Higuain and Ramos both screwing good openings wide.
It was beginning to look as though the hosts were going to pay for those missed chances, but with the game in injury time, Higuain's header forced a parry out of Palop and Van der Vaart was on hand to poke home the winner.
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