Iker Casillas made a point, as if he needed to, with a great performance in Vallecas, pulling off more saves than in any other game this season. The clean sheet will have tasted all the sweeter considering it came after eight stops, surpassing the six the keeper produced against Málaga and Schalke.
An inauspicious start - he initially looked jittery when coming for crosses and made a couple of indecisive interventions - was more than made up for with what turned out to be one of the veteran's finest displays of the campaign. Whether from point-blank range or from outside the box, he was equal to everything thrown at him, with his highlights being the saves from Alberto Bueno's strike from distance and Manucho's towering header across goal. He also had the guts to play his way out of trouble when closed down particularly strenuously in the area on one occasion.
All in all, it was an ideal way to take his leave before next week's European visit to Atlético de Madrid, since Casillas will make way for Keylor Navas to rack up his fourth league appearance for Real Madrid on Saturday against Eibar.
