Mariano Diaz ensured Real Madrid coped without the injured Karim Benzema by scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Villarreal that helped Los Blancos bounce back from a dismal result a week earlier.
Zinedine Zidane's men did not have it all their own way against their relegation-threatened visitors, but Mariano's strikes in the opening moments of either half helped Madrid overcome the absence of their leading scorer and unsettled forward Gareth Bale, who was left out of the squad.