Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol: Gareth Bale stars to get 10-men Los Blancos back in business... but still gets some stick from fans

Real Madrid won their first game of 2015 with a 3-0 defeat of Espanyol in their La Liga match at the Bernabeu

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting line-up after recovering from a troublesome knee injury

World Cup superstar James Rodriguez opened the scoring on 12 minutes after being set up by Ronaldo

Former Tottenham winger Gareth Bale doubled Los Blancos' lead in the first half with a superb free kick

Bale was jeered by some home supporters in the second half for failing to find Ronaldo with a pass

The Club World Cup winners had defender Fabio Coentrao sent off for a challenge on Jose Alberto Canas

Substitute Nacho completed the scoring after firing home a cross from Alvaro Arbeloa on 76 minutes

Real Madrid move four points clear of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at the top of the Spanish league table

Did Coentrão really deserve the red card watch video below and let know what you think....

Gareth Bale responded to his Real Madrid critics with one of the passes of the season and a sensational free-kick in his side's 3-0 win over Espanyol but still couldn't please everyone at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Welshman was accused of being selfish after Real Madrid's first defeat in 22 games last weekend away to Valencia but there was nothing selfish about his glorious 40-yard crossfield pass on 12 minutes that dropped on Cristiano Ronaldo's toe enabling him to cross first time for James Rodriguez to score Real Madrid's opener.

And then on 20 minutes Bale took a free-kick from 30-yards out and hammered it home off the inside of Espanyol keeper Kiko Casilla's left-hand upright with Ronaldo looking on.

Ronaldo reacted angrily when Bale failed to play him in during the second half, prompting some fans to jeer the Welshman