Assistant Aitor Karanka made no secret of his satisfaction after Real Madrid eased to a comfortable 3-0 win over Villarreal on Wednesday.

Villarreal finished fourth last season and have been one of the few teams to represent a genuine threat to Real in recent years.

But they have endured a dire start to the 2011/12 campaign and were comprehensively dispatched at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Karim Benzema, Kaka and Angel di Maria were the men on target for the home side, and with all the goals scored inside the first 30 minutes, Real could afford to sit back throughout the rest of the match.

“We scored quickly and, frankly, managed the rest of the game rather well,” assistant coach Karanka said.

“We lowered the intensity of our performance after half-time and were more relaxed. Scoring early made our job easier and gave us confidence.”

Real continue to trail Levante by one point in La Liga; the surprise front-runners have now won seven matches in succession and, according to Karanka, warrant their spot at the top of the table.

“The best so far are Levante and they deserve to be because they’re playing at a very high level,” Karanka said.

“We must stay on this path, try to resolve games early on and continue to earn victories.”

“That’s what we work for and we’re achieving our objectives. We must now work to keep this up.”

“The team is in good form and can pressurise in attack. This has benefits; we have more chances to score when we pressurise and steal the ball in attack.”

Villarreal meanwhile have slipped into the relegation zone, prompting speculation about Juan Carlos Garrido’s future in charge of the club.

“Garrido is Villarreal’s coach, he should not be judged for a match, but for his record,” Villarreal President Fernando Roig told Canal Plus.

“We will fight together.”

“We have to work and keep fighting. We have a difficult match against Rayo Vallecano coming up, we are playing at home and we have to win.” – Soccerway