Rafa Benitez blasts La Liga schedule after Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez criticised the Primera Division's match scheduling after his team beat Celta Vigo 3-1 to go top of the standings.

Despite his side recoding a significant win in Balaidos on Saturday afternoon against a previously unbeaten Celta side, Benitez was angry his team were forced to make the long trip to Galicia less than 72 hours after their Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain.

Benitez's concern was compounded by the fact that Madrid's title rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona play their games on Sunday.

"It was surprising that we had to play on Saturday after playing such a difficult game on Wednesday," Benitez told a press conference.

"The same thing happened to Sevilla (who played Getafe on Saturday after travelling to Manchester City on Wednesday) and I hope that in the next few weeks, other teams have to do the same."

Although Cristiano Ronaldo and Danilo put the Merengues in charge with first-half goals, the visitors struggled after the break, even though Celta were reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Gustavo Cabral.

Nolito pulled a goal back in the 86th minute to make for a tense finish, but Marcelo sealed the points by scoring at the death.

Benitez attributed his side's troubles to their unforgiving schedule, but also emphasised the importance of the victory and praised his side accordingly.

"I'm very satisfied," he said. "We kept going until the end against a very good side. We put in a huge performance against PSG and today we had a lot of chances, but we had to suffer at the end because we couldn't find the third goal."

Madrid were once again helped by an outstanding performance from Keylor Navas, who made three vital saves in the first half, but Benitez did not single the Costa Rican out for praise.

"Our best player was the team," he said. "We knew how to hold on and soak up the pressure against an unbeaten team that have won against the top sides, and so soon after the game with PSG."

Celta forward Nolito was more generous in his appraisal of Navas.

He told Canal Plus: "We have to congratulate Keylor for saving those three shots. I have no idea how he managed to do it."

Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno added: "We are proud of the job the team did today. It was wonderful for the fans. They pressured very well and we were able to get forward a lot.

"Celta also had their chances, but Keylor was sensational and made three miraculous saves in the first half."