Cristiano Ronaldo hit the winner as Real Madrid won 1-0 at Malaga yesterday.
Ronaldo's first-half goal was the only difference between Real Madrid and Malaga as Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed a 1-0 win at Estadio La Rosaleda.
The Portugal international fired home a low strike after beating three Malaga defenders in the 23rd minute to claim a narrow victory for Real which put the pressure back on capital rivals Atletico Madrid who lie second in the overall standings.
The result left Malaga in 13th place but only three points clear of the relegation zone.
Ancelotti said: "It was a difficult match. Málaga applied a lot of pressure but despite that we had chances to get a second goal, which unfortunately we couldn't find. When the score is 1-0 there is always some suffering involved. It wasn't a great match in terms of play, but our players attitude was great and they put in a solid defensive display. We didn't concede."
