Real Madrid were delighted with the result after narrowly defeating Espanyol 1–0 away from home.
After the match, Head Coach Benitez openly expressed his respect for the players at the press conference. He said that Real Madrid had played the most spirited match of his managerial career and had secured the three points by the narrowest of margins.
"I know that, judging from the league situation, these three points can't help us overtake Barcelona. They won't send us straight to the top of the table, either. Their only effect is that they've reduced our points gap with Barcelona to seven."
"But I want to remind everyone that the situation before this was despairing. Many people may have already given up on us completely, believing that we couldn't shake Barcelona. But after tonight, we've used a victory to tell everyone that no matter how difficult things become, we will never give up."
Benitez also publicly criticized referee Lahoz, believing that it had been unfair for him to send off Casillas at the very start of the match.
"I want to say that we all clearly saw Callejón's performance. I can't blame him, because anyone in his situation might have acted even more dramatically than he did. But the referee shouldn't have been deceived by him. He should have seen the situation clearly. It could have been a yellow card, but it absolutely shouldn't have been a red."
However, Benitez praised the referee's subsequent decisions, believing that Lahoz's officiating had been acceptable.
The media reporters immediately teased him about it, saying that was only because Real Madrid had won!
If Real Madrid had lost tonight, Benitez would definitely have flown into a rage.
Besides Benitez, Yang Yang was also assigned by the club to face the media after the match. He