Morata’s hat-trick takes Madrid back to top of La Liga

Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat minnows Leganes to move back above Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

James Rodriguez put Real ahead with a tap in before a Morata header and powerful strike made it 3-0.

Leganes responded as Gabriel’s close-range finish and a Luciano strike reduced the deficit to one.

But a Morata header deflected in off Leganes captain Martin Mantovani to seal victory for Real.

The win takes Zinedine Zidane’s side two points clear of Barcelona, who had earlier gone top after they beat Sevilla 3-0 on Wednesday.

Zidane made nine changes for the game, opting to give Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo the night off to try and keep his key players fresh for a busy April, BBC reports.

This was the second of nine games this month for Real, which includes league games against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, as well as a two-legged Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich.