After an uneventful start to proceedings in which Real struggled to put any cohesive attacking moves together, an unexpected long-range rifle from Eder Militao got Los Blancos up and running, with Marko Dmitrovic unable to keep out the audacious effort despite getting fingertips to the ball.
Espanyol weren’t without attacking intent of their own, but the visitors were rarely able to work a shooting position in a half that was increasingly dominated by Alonso’s side.
With the half-time whistle approaching, Espanyol came within inches of levelling the scoreline when Edu Exposito’s swerving free-kick delivery bounced agonisingly past the outstretched leg of Fernando Calero, a moment that was nearly punished immediately had Kylian Mbappe directed his effort on target from a promising position at the other end.
It took just two minutes for Real to double their advantage after the restart, as another long-range strike found the back of the net, this time via the boot of Mbappe, who curled in at the near post.
Espanyol hadn’t won an away meeting since 1996, and with a two-goal deficit heading into the final 30 minutes, Manolo Gonzalez had to do something if they were to change that.
A triple alteration soon followed, but that appeared to backfire as Los Blancos almost added a third when Mbappe’s shot was parried into the path of Vinicius Junior, who struck the post from a tight angle.
There was little in the way of goalmouth action as the contest drifted towards its inevitable conclusion, allowing the impressive Franco Mastantuono to make way as Real remained firmly in control.
In the end, the visitors were rarely a problem for the title contenders, ending Espanyol’s unbeaten start to the league season (W3, D1, L1).
Meanwhile, it's now 10 wins in their last 11 games at the Bernabeu for Real, whose immaculate start to the campaign continues.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid)
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