Karim Benzema scored two penalties and saved another as Real Madrid registered a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Benzema put Madrid ahead of the spot in the 19th minute before Celta opened the equalizer led by Thiago Gallardo, who was out for offside in the first half. The home team leveled through Nolito on 52 minutes and Benzema saw a second penalty save by goalkeeper Matias Dituro, before sending a third-place kick on 69 minutes to score three points.
The result leaves Madrid 12 points clear at the top of the LaLiga table with eight games left to play. Second-placed Sevilla are scheduled to tour Barcelona on Sunday.
"It was very important," Thibaut Courtois later said. "Celta Away is always a tough game, you can always suffer here. All our games here have been tough. I don't know if we deserved the win or not, I made two great saves in the first half. But in the end We tried to get into his box, those are three penalties, I think they are fair, those are three penalties."
Celta Vigo, however, was little convinced that all three incidents should have resulted in a penalty by referee Pablo González Fuertes.
"I think the first two were 'penaltitos' [little penalties] but the last one was not from my point of view," said Iago Aspas. "All that was missing was to pay one last [fine] for Pablo to take. Otherwise it would have been a Benzema hat-trick, it looked like that was what he wanted."
Manager Carlo Ancelotti was absent at Balaidos after testing positive for COVID-19. The Italian made four changes to the team that lost 4–0 to Barca before the international break, with Benzema, Ferland Mendy, Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio all starting.
A busy start opened an Iago Espas shot wide and Benzema hit a header into the side netting before Courtois made the first of three brilliant first-half saves, missing a Denis Suarez shot over the bar. Nolito's clumsy challenge dropped Eder Militao inside the box and Benzema converted it to create his highest-scoring campaign for Real Madrid.
Courtois needed again to reach Aspas's curling free kick, and later tipped Gallardo's header onto the post. The ball continued to spin into the net, but referee González Fuertes disallowed the goal after consulting the pitchside VAR monitor, ruling that the offside asap had prevented defender David Alaba from making goal-line clearance.
After half-time, keeper Dituro pushed away a dipping shot from Luka Modric, but Celta struck next at the other end, with Nolito trailing Courtois 1-1.
Madrid were awarded a second penalty when substitute Rodrigo took on defender Jason Murillo and was brought down, only for Dituro to deny Benzema.
Five minutes later, the France forward had a chance to make amends when Mendy went down under challenge from full-back Kevin Vazquez, this time sending Deturo the wrong way to score his 34th goal of the season in all competitions.
Madrid will now turn its attention to the first leg of the Champions League and the quarterfinals at Chelsea on Wednesday.
"It's important to win today," Courtois said. "Chelsea lost at home today, they will be strong on Wednesday, it will be another great game. We have to give more, we lack intensity a little bit on Wednesday, we can't lack intensity on Wednesday, Chelsea that Well we have to be quick and aggressive, because we have football."