Real Madrid have made it back-to-back victories in La Liga after they defeated Leganes 3-0 at Butarque in an all-Madrid affair.

The visitors dominated the first half, but they had to wait until the 43rd minute to break the deadlock. It was a monumental error from Adri Altimara that gifted the ball to Vinicius Junior, and he squared for Kylian Mbappe to score his first goal in five matches.

Just beyond the hour mark, Real Madrid would score their second courtesy of Federico Valverde. The Uruguayan, who was captain on the day, fired home a well-struck free-kick for his fourth goal of the season.

Late on, Jude Bellingham made it goals in back-to-back matches as he capitalised on a fortuitous bounce off the crossbar to head into an empty net.

The result means that Real Madrid go back above Atletico Madrid into second place in La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have also cut Barcelona’s lead to four points, having played a game less than their bitter rivals.

Ruben Amorim pinpointed Joshua Zirkzee and Jonny Evans as two Manchester United players who need to improve after Sunday’s underwhelming 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town.

United were held in Amorim’s first match in charge at Portman Road as they struggled to adapt to the new head coach’s demands.

Marcus Rashford got the Portuguese tactician’s reign off to a perfect start by poking Amad’s cross home after just 80 seconds.

But Omari Hutchinson profited from his long-range strike deflecting off Noussair Mazraoui’s head, putting it out of Andre Onana’s reach and equalising before half time.

United flattered to deceive in the second half, emphasising the magnitude of the challenge Amorim faces after replacing Erik ten Hag in the dugout.

After full-time, he insisted that switching to his trademark 3-4-3 system wasn’t the primary issue, instead claiming his players’ decision-making has to improve.

“Decision-making is a concern; you don’t need to coach them [that] at this level,” Amorim explained on Sky Sports.

“You have to keep the ball and know the momentum to put the ball in front. Sometimes you feel that you can’t keep the ball and you have to put the ball in front.

“Then you have [situations] like at the end of the game [when] we were around the box with two strikers. Josh [Zirkzee] has to understand that he has to go to the box to help the crosses.

“So we are doing some things that were not at the right moments, which we have to address. The 3-4-3 is not the concern; the understanding of the game is what we have to improve.”

Zirkzee wasn’t the only player named in Amorim’s post-match assessment as he lamented his side’s pressing. The 39-year-old also pinpointed Evans’ failure to track Hutchinson.

“If you see the first half, you can see that they [United] were a little bit afraid. [Morsy] was always alone. We have to jump on him,” Amorim added.

“Hutchinson was always in the dead space; Jonny Evans should be pressing his guy, but when we don’t have the training.

Sunday’s match against Ipswich Town was a special fixture for more than just the fact that it was Ruben Amorim’s first game – it also marked Casemiro’s 100th appearance for the Reds.

Signed from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022, our no.18 has played a key role in Carabao Cup and FA Cup successes, as well as scoring countless important goals for the Reds.

With a proven pedigree that speaks for itself, Casemiro has been a lynchpin for United ever since his arrival and continues to be a key member of the team, starting for new head coach Amorim in his inuagural match in the Reds dugout.

In 100 games in a United shirt, Casemiro has scored 15 times, with perhaps the most important of these being his unstoppable header that set us on the way to defeating Newcastle United in the 2023 Carabao Cup final.

The Brazilian made his debut in our away win at Southampton in 2022, scoring his first United goal two months later as he rose high at the back post to grab a late equaliser away to Chelsea. The wild celebrations that header prompted live long in the memory.

The five-time Champions League winner has tasted success with the Reds in 58 of his century of games, drawing 18.

A defensive-minded midfielder with an eye for goal, Case found the net on seven occasions in 2022/23, following that up with another five finishes last term. This season, so far, our no.18 has notched on three occasions – including that recent screamer against Leicester in the Carabao Cup.

Adaptable as ever, the Brazilian icon showed once again on Sunday why some of the biggest managers in world football continue to rely upon him, starting at the heart of midfield but this time as part of Amorim’s new-look three-at-the-back formation.

A consistent presence with real quality and a tireless work rate, we congratulate Casemiro on reaching yet another impressive landmark in his decorated career.