Real Madrid hosted Espanyol in their Copa del Rey match this evening.

The home side came into the game with a one-goal lead, having won the first leg last week.

Jese Rodriguez scored for Madrid early on after latching on to Xavi Alonso's pass, and they wasted a number of chances to further extend their lead.

Espanyol had Victor Sanchez sent off late on, with the hosts seeing out the game to reach the semi-finals.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Match Statistics:

Real Madrid:
Shots 17
On Target 4
Possession 65%
Corners 8
Fouls 12

Espanyol:
Shots 7
On Target 0
Possession 35%
Corners 5
Fouls 22

Was the result fair?

Real Madrid were by far the better team, and if they were more clinical in front of goal, the scoreline would have been far more convincing. Rodriguez's early strike put them into a two-goal aggregate lead, which never looked in danger in a dominating display.

Real Madrid's performance

Madrid looked extremely solid at the back and managed to set a club record of eight consecutive clean sheets. They stretched their winning run to 10 matches and were rarely troubled. The usually prolific Cristiano Ronaldo was far from his best, and wasted several chances to find the net. A better team may have made them pay, but Madrid did enough to book their place in the semi-finals of the cup.

Espanyol's performance

Espanyol struggled to get on the ball, and when they did manage to get forward, they failed to test Iker Casillas. Raul Rodriguez had a great chance to find the net in the closing stages, when he volleyed wide from close range, but it would have made very little difference to the eventual outcome of the tie. The early goal killed any chances they had of winning and they were not positive enough in attack to deserve a result.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Xavi Alonso: The midfielder showed his class with an inch-perfect ball over the top that Rodriguez scored from to decide the game. Alonso controlled the play well from the centre of the pitch and always looked to set up quick attacks down the flanks. He provided a perfect shield in front of the defence and was a calming influence in the game's later stages.

Biggest gaffe

Sanchez killed off any hopes that his side had of getting back into the game when he was sent off. His red card was for a high late challenge on Alonso, that gave the referee no choice but to hand him his marching orders.

Referee's performance

Referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes got the big decision in sending off Sanchez correct, and made the right call for the rest of the yellow cards he handed out. He took control of the game well, and allowed Madrid to play their usual brand of flowing, attacking football.

What next?

Real Madrid: Madrid visit Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday.

Espanyol: Espanyol are also in La Liga action on Sunday, and travel to Real Betis.