MADRID: An early goal for Gonzalo Higuain was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Valencia on Saturday and the first win for Juande Ramos as coach.

Real bounced back from the 2-0 defeat against Barcelona last weekend to score after just three minutes with Higuain firing home after good work from Arjen Robben. In another match, Atletico Madrid beat Espanyol 3-2.

For new Madrid coach Ramos, it was a welcome win. "It was very important that we won, we had three points in our hand and if we had only managed a draw in the end it would have been a big problem," said Ramos.

"Players in these situations are uncertain whether to push for a second or look to hold on to the advantage."