Jese Rodriguez scored late on to hand Real Madrid a 3-2 win over Valencia at the Mestalla on Sunday evening.

Angel di Maria's curling effort handed the away side the lead after 28 minutes, but Valencia were level before the interval courtesy of a header from Pablo Piatti.

Madrid were not finished in the first period, however, as Cristiano Ronaldo headed in a Di Maria cross to leave Los Blancos 2-1 ahead at the break.

Jeremy Mathieu levelled for Valencia just past the hour mark, but Jese won it for the away side late on.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two La Liga rivals.

Match statistics:

Valencia:
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 32%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 12

Real Madrid:
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 68%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

Madrid might have dominated the possession this evening, but it is difficult to argue that they deserved to claim all three points. Valencia were the better side after equalising in the second period, but just could not find that elusive pass in the final third as Madrid wobbled in defence. The visitors needed a late strike from Jese to claim all three points, but a much-improved Valencia will feel that they deserved at least a share of the spoils.

Valencia's performance

Valencia crumbled to a 3-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid last weekend, but that has not the case this evening. They twice fell behind against Los Blancos, but showed real character to respond on each occasion. Everything about their performance was different from previous weeks, with their work-rate and quality on the ball closer to the standard that the supporters demand. There are still issues in a number of areas, but the new manager - whoever that may be - will inherit a talented squad of players.

Real Madrid's performance

Like Barcelona, who won away at Getafe earlier this afternoon, Madrid needed their star-studded attack to paper over the defensive cracks. Sergio Ramos had a poor evening with the Spanish centre-back culpable for both Valencia goals, while the home side were allowed too much space in the final third. Luckily for the capital outfit, they have such talent in forward areas, with Di Maria the pick of the bunch at the Mestalla. Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric were also terrific in midfield as Madrid picked up a vital victory to keep their title challenge alive.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Angel di Maria: The Argentine probably would not have started had Gareth Bale been fit, but he made his point again this evening. The winger opened the scoring with a stunning curling effort, before assisting Ronaldo with a sensational free kick into the box. The 25-year-old look tired in the latter stages, but he had done the damage in the first period.

Biggest gaffe of the match

Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita had an absolute horror show in the latter stages as he let a low strike from Jese move under his body at the near post, handing Madrid all three points in the process. It was not a particularly powerful strike from the Spanish forward, but the home side's keeper got his positioning all wrong. Could he lose his place to Diego Alves after the winter break?

Referee performance

Although it was incredibly close, Ronaldo appeared to be slightly offside when he scored Madrid's second, but referee Fernando Teixeira failed to receive the required help from his linesman. The Spaniard was perhaps too lenient in the first period, but he did produce a number of yellow cards in the second. Madrid will also feel that they should have had a late penalty when Ronaldo went down under a challenge from Victor Ruiz, but the official was not interested.

What next?

Valencia: The Spanish outfit return to league action at home to Levante on January 4.

Real Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti's side must wait until January 6 for their next league clash against Celta Vigo.