A 1-0 home win over Villarreal on Sunday took Real Madrid up to third in the Spanish Liga, dpa reported.
Real won thanks to a handsome goal from Arjen Robben - and thanks to some sharp saves from Iker Casillas.
New signings Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra made discreet debuts for Real.
The only goal came in the 31st minute, when Robben let fly with his trusty left foot from just outside the box, leaving Villarreal keeper Diego Lopez with no chance.
Robben was the liveliest forward for sluggish Real, who seemed more interested in defending than attacking. They enjoyed only 44 per cent possession, finished the game with a 5-4-1 formation - and left the field to a mixture of jeers and cheers.
Joseba Llorente, Guiseppe Rossi and Sebastian Eguren all wasted good late chances for Villarreal, who showed a certain naivety in attack.
"We didn't play really well this evening," said Real captain Raul, "but the important thing is the three points."
The tight win leaves the whites with 32 points from 17 games. They are one point behind second-placed Valencia - who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Saturday - and 12 behind record-breaking leaders Barcelona, 3-1 winners over Mallorca on Saturday.
Sevilla, currently on 31 points, will recuperate second place if, as expected, they beat bottom team Osasuna at home later on Sunday.
Osasuna have just 12 points, two less than Mallorca and Espanyol, who battled out a 1-1 draw in Bilbao.
Recreativo Huelva moved up to fourth from bottom, on 16, with a 3-1 defeat of Numancia, who are on 17 points.
Then come Betis on 18 and Almeria on 19.
Hugo Sanchez enjoyed a winning debut on the Almeria bench with a 1-0 defeat of Betis, courtesy of a goal from Miguel Corona.
In Sunday's other early games, Malaga beat Sporting 1-0 and Racing Santander won 1-0 in Valladolid.