Marco Asensio effortlessly slalomed past the Elche defence eight minutes into the game to put Real Madrid in front with a low shot inside the bottom left corner.

Striker Karim Benzema doubled their advantage from the spot just after the half-hour mark, firing into the top right corner after Carlo Ancelotti’s side were given a penalty for a handball.

The France forward made it 3-0 one minute into first-half stoppage time through another penalty, awarded to Real for a foul on forward Rodrygo.

The hosts continued to enjoy possession and create chances and increased the scoreline again in the 80th minute with a superb shot by Luka Modric from the edge of the box.

Real are second in the standings on 48 points from 21 games, eight points behind table-toppers Barcelona. Elche remain bottom of the table, 12 points short of safety.