Rafa Benitez rescued by Cristiano Ronaldo double in Sociedad win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and missed a penalty as Real Madrid eased the pressure on under fire coach Rafael Benitez with a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad.

However, Real still trail local rivals Atletico Madrid by two points after they moved top of the table temporarily thanks to late goals from Angel Correa and Antoine Griezmann in a 2-0 win at Rayo Vallecano.

Ronaldo recovered from a terrible start after blasting his first penalty of the day over the bar to put Madrid in front from another spot-kick just before half-time.

Bruma levelled for an injury-hit Sociedad minutes after the break, but Ronaldo delivered when his side needed a goal once more to restore the lead 23 minutes from time before Lucas Vasquez added a late third.

“Apart from 10 minutes when they were in command, we controlled the game and had a lot of chances, which, if we had taken them, would have made the second-half more comfortable,” said Benitez.

“I congratulate the players for their attitude from start to finish. We worked hard, reacted well and got the three points.”

Rumours over Benitez’s future refuse to go away after a disappointing first six months in charge at the Bernabeu with the former Liverpool boss even claiming there is a media conspiracy against him on Tuesday.