See La Liga goal king chart: Ronaldo's 300th keeps him ahead of Messi

A spirited second half display and change of system from Carlo Ancelotti saw Real Madrid overcome a stubborn Rayo Vallecano side to claim a hard-fought 2-0 win and close the gap on Barcelona.

Ancelotti’s side came into the game on Wednesday at the Vallecas seven points behind the Liga leaders following their 4-0 win over Almeria earlier, with Rayo Vallecano enjoying the better of the first half as they went toe-to-toe with Real.

But Real Madrid’s superior quality and threat in attack told in the second half, with Cristiano Ronaldo heading home the opener after 68 minutes following excellent work by Dani Carvjal down the right wing.

Ronaldo joins Raul and Di Stefano as the only players to score 300 goals for Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi also scored in Barca's 4-0 win against Almeria to keep the difference between himself and the Portugal star at four goals.

Race for the Pichichi

1	Cristiano Ronaldo	37	Real Madrid
2	Lionel Messi	33	FC Barcelona
3	Carlos Bacca	17	Sevilla FC
3	Neymar	17	FC Barcelona
5	Antoine Griezmann	16	Atlético Madrid
6	Alberto Bueno	16	Rayo Vallecano
6	Karim Benzema	15	Real Madrid
8	Gareth Bale	13	Real Madrid
9	Mario Mandzukic	12	Atlético Madrid
9	Luciano Vietto	12	Villarreal CF
11	Adúriz	11	Athletic Club

Follow Gary on Twitter: @garyalsmith

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

Tags: