3️⃣ points as Ramos and VAR help Real Madrid move seven points clear | OneFootball

Real Madrid moved seven points clear at the top of LaLiga with a 1-0 win over Athletic Club at San Mames.

Sergio Ramos found the net from the penalty spot once again in the 73rd minute to earn Real the three points in a tight contest in Bilbao.

Here are our main takeaways from the game …

VAR-eal

Yet again, Real Madrid received a huge helping hand from VAR.

Zinedine Zidane’s side were struggling to find a way through the Athletic defence when in the 72nd minute Marcelo went down in the box following a tackle from Dani García.

The referee initially decided to wave for an Athletic goal-kick before VAR intervened.

Sergio Ramos dispatched the penalty and proved to be the match-winner for the second time this week.

The referee then appeared to miss a foul by Ramos on Asier Villabre in the box during the closing stages.

Since the restart, Real have benefited from a number of decisions thanks to the technology.

Valencia had a goal ruled out for offside against Real which proved to be incorrect, while they’ve earned penalties against Sociedad and Getafe as well as today.

Title races are decided by the slimmest of margins, could VAR prove to be the decisive factor in this one?

Real go seven clear

Real Madrid are now seven points clear at the top of LaLiga, until Barcelona travel to Villarreal tonight at least.

This weekend could prove to be the most crucial in the title race, particularly if Barça do drop points this evening.

It must not be forgotten that at the beginning of the restart, Barcelona were two points clear of Los Blancos.

What Real have done since then is remarkable.

It is now seven wins in the row since the resumption of LaLiga, with four of them coming by the odd goal.

It appears to be a trait of Zidane’s Real Madrid that they just find a way to win, no matter how well they actually play.

This was the context again in Bilbao this afternoon.

Both sides were impressive in the first 45 minutes but the second half played out to be a scrappy affair.

However, Real found what they needed to get the win that they needed.

Over to you, Barça.

Captain. Leader. Hero.

It is an understatement to say Sergio Ramos divides opinion in football.

You could say that you either love him or hate him, but even the people who love him probably can’t stand to be around him 75% of the time.

What cannot be denied is his importance to this Real Madrid team, and his importance to this title race.

Just like he did on Thursday night against Getafe, Ramos stepped up to the plate to score the match-winning goal when his team needed him the most.

He was impenetrable at the back once again, with this shut-out being Real’s fourth consecutive clean sheet and fifth overall since the restart.

Ramos was booked (of course) for complaining to the referee (of course) in the closing stages.

The yellow means he will miss the next fixture against Alaves.

With Raphael Varane also likely to be missing through injury, this could be a massive blow to Zidane.

Time for somebody else to step up for the team.