An energetic start saw plenty of early efforts, the best of which came from Marcos Alonso, whose header required a strong hand from Thibaut Courtois to keep Celta at bay.
In typical fashion, Real controlled possession for much of the half, eventually being rewarded after the half-hour mark when Arda Güler whipped an effort into the top corner via a slight deflection off Alonso.
It took just six minutes for Los Blancos to double their advantage, having Courtois to thank for a smart stop that led to a breakaway, culminating in a clinical finish from Kylian Mbappé beyond the reach of Vicente Guaita.
It didn’t take long for Real to seemingly put the contest to bed after the restart, adding a third goal when Güler’s through ball found Mbappé, who neatly rolled into the net.
Os Celestes reignited a glimmer of hope as they netted through Javi Rodríguez’s close-range finish with just over 20 minutes to play, and a comeback was soon a genuine possibility as veteran Iago Aspas picked out Williot Swedberg, who timed his run to perfection before tucking home.
Incredibly, Real almost threw their three-goal lead away when Pablo Durán raced through on goal, only to see his low shot squirm under Courtois but stop short of the goal line.
Despite their late charge, Celta ultimately couldn’t overturn the deficit, extending their search for a first H2H win since January 2017 (D3, L16).
However, that statistic won’t concern fans too much, as their seventh-place position would be enough to secure a return to European football for the first time in nine years should they hold off the chasing pack.
Meanwhile, with the gap to league leaders Barcelona back down to four points and just four games left to go for Real, there is everything to play for when the two bitter rivals meet next weekend.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Arda Güler (Real Madrid)