The game was over as a contest inside the opening 34 minutes as Madrid raced into a 4-0 lead through braces from the in-form Gonzalo Higuain and Rafael van der Vaart.

Manuel Pellegrini's side then added two more goals in the second half through big-money summer signings Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema - on his 22nd birthday - to record their biggest win of the season.

Sevilla slipped further off the title pace as their poor recent home form continued with a surprising 2-1 defeat at home to Getafe.

Manolo Jimenez's side had failed to win either of their previous two league matches at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

They found themselves two goals down inside 33 minutes tonight against a plucky Getafe outfit thanks to Roberto Soldado's brace and, though Alvaro Negredo pulled one back at the start of the second half, Sevilla could not find a way back into the game.

Early goals from Fran Yeste and Fernando Llorente gave Athletic Bilbao a fine 2-0 victory over northern rivals Osasuna.