Madrid - Real Madrid cruised to the top of the Spanish Liga on Sunday with a 5-0 destruction of minnows Xerez, with four goals in an impressive final 15-minute onslaught. The handsome win puts the whites level on nine points with Barcelona and surprise package Athletic Bilbao after three games, but ahead on goal difference.
Valencia will also have maximum points if, as expected, they beat Sporting Gijon at home in Sunday's late game.
Cristiano Ronaldo took centre stage in the Estadio Bernabeu with two more goals. The Portuguese winger has scored a total of six goals in his first four competitive games for the whites, and has thus started to repay his massive transfer fee.
Real's other goals were scored by veterans Guti and Ruud Van Nistelrooy and by Karim Benzema, his first for his new club.
Ronaldo - who scored two on Tuesday against FC Zurich - opened the scoring against Xerez in the very first minute, with one of his trademark thunderbolts from outside the penalty area.
Real then lost their rhythm, against frightened opponents who defended in depth and refused to come out of their shell.
In the 76th minute Ronaldo made it 2-0 by heading in a corner. With the three points in the bag, the fiesta could finally begin.
Guti added the third by smashing home a rebound, Benzema joined the party with a left-foot drive to make it 4-0.
Then Van Nistelrooy came off the bench and, to the delight of the capacity crowd, completed the rout. The popular Dutchman has been out of action for 10 months after a knee ligament operation.
Xerez defender Jose Casado said that "they are an excellent team, they never seem to get tired of looking for more goals."
Xerez, in the top flight for the first time ever, are rock bottom with zero points - and seemingly bound for a speedy return to the second division.
Earlier on Sunday, Bilbao had kept up their hundred per cent record with a 3-2 home defeat of troubled Villarreal.
Bilbao, who field only Basque players and refuse to sign foreigners, have won their first three games of the season for the first time since 1983.
Spain striker Fernando Llorente was the hero in Bilbao's legendary San Mames stadium, scoring the first two goals.
Llorente headed the "Lions" ahead after just 12 minutes, then made it 2-0 five minutes before half-time despite a suspicion of offside.
Cani pulled a goal back for Villarreal in the 49th minute, but Javi Lopez made it 3-1 for the hosts by heading in a corner 10 minutes later.
Five minutes from time, Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla gave Villarreal hope by scoring from a free-kick, but Bilbao held on for a an important win.
"The crowd really helped us today," said Bilbao anchorman Carlos Gurpegui. "As usual, they really got behind us."
Gurpegui added that "it is wonderful to be at the top, but we must take this thing one game at a time, without letting it go to our heads."
In Sunday's other early games, Valladolid won 2-1 away to Zaragoza with goals from Marquitos and Sisi, and Almeria beat Getafe 1-0 on a goal from Michel Macedo.
