Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hooked Ricardo Carvalho at halftime of last night's victory over Espanyol.

Real thrashed Espanyol 5-0, but it was an unhappy night for the returning former Chelsea defender.

Carvalho was booed and whistled whenever he touched the ball by the Bernabeu crowd and Mourinho decided to withdraw him from the frontline.

Real No2 Aitor Karanka remarked afterwards: "Carvalho is an experienced player and he always wants to do more than he can when he's missed a few games. We all know how important he is to the team and it's important that he feels supported."