Few teams can bring such a quality player off the bench. And for Real Madrid, who were in the midst of a rather dismal performance, the introduction of Vinicius Jr – who was given a rare rest – was crucial. The Brazilian breathed life into Los Blancos, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 victory, and in doing so masked another puzzling performance.

Los Blancos were a fairly static team in the first half, relying too much on Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham for moments of inspiration. The result was a dull affair in which a sloppy Madrid created few real chances.

Espanyol took advantage 10 minutes into the second half. Their opening goal was a slapstick affair, a well-aimed hoof strike from the keeper across the pitch to Jofre Carreras, who darted down the wing and saw his speculative cross deflect in off the tangled legs of Thibaut Courtois.

It took Los Blancos four minutes to respond. Vinicius was the catalyst for it all, having been brought on after the hour mark. He was crucial in the build-up to the equaliser, when Dani Carvajal fired home. He was even more crucial in the second, his trivela pass falling perfectly to Rodrygo – who could not miss for 2-1. He found the net himself for the third, darting through the middle and firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Mbappe buried a late fourth from the penalty spot.

Madrid were not enchanting here. Yet Vinicius showed that adding a very good player to a football match is ultimately an effective strategy.

GOAL rates the Real Madrid players from the Santiago Bernabeu…