{PHOTOS } Real Madrid 9-1 Granada: Cristiano Ronaldo nets FIVE (including eight-minute hat-trick) ~ Chucky's Blog

Real Madrid 9-1 Granada: Cristiano Ronaldo nets FIVE (including eight-minute hat-trick) while Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale also score as Carlo Ancelotti's side return to winning ways in La Liga
Cristiano Ronaldo scored eight-minute hat-trick in first half as Real Madrid thumped Granada 9-1 on Sunday
Portuguese star helps himself to two more goals in second period to make it five goals in a game
Karim Benzema also nets double, while Gareth Bale grabbed the opener at the Santiago Bernabeu
Diego Mainz scores own goal in second half while Roberto Ibanez nets consolation for the visitors
Carlo Ancelotti's side now one point behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga table

Cristiano Ronaldo scored five, including a eight-minute hat-trick, as Real Madrid beat sorry Granada 9-1.

Gareth Bale broke the deadlock and Carlo Ancelotti’s team were 4-0 up before half-time as they put memories of their Clasico defeat to Barcelona a fortnight ago behind them.

The huge gulf in class showed in the midday sunshine at the Bernabeu right from minute 20 when Bale bullied Diego Mainz off the ball and charged through on goal. He dribbled around flailing Granada keeper Oier Olazabal before nudging the ball over the line for the opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored five goals against Granada on Sunday to help Real Madrid to a thumping 9-1 win at the Bernabeu

Ronaldo's five goals included an eight-minute first-half hat-trick as the visitors were comfortably swept aside

Marcelo links up with Ronaldo as the duo dance after one of the forward's goals in the first half at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid bounced back from their El Clasico defeat by Barcelona with a thumping win on Easter Sunday

MATCH FACTS

REAL MADRID: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Rodriguez (Jese 61) Kroos (Illaramendi 57), Modric; Bale, Benzema (Hernandez 61), Ronaldo

Subs not used: Navas, Nacho, Coentrao, Silva

Booked: Arbeloa

Goals: Bale 25, Ronaldo 30, 36, 38, 54, 89, Benzema 52, 56, Mainz (own goal) 83

GRANADA: Oier; Foulquier, Mainz, Babin (Murillo 61), Juan Carlos; Fran Rico (Silvestre 57), Iturra; Ibanez, Rochina (Piti 53), Candeias; El Arabi

Subs not used: Roberto, Nyom, Javi Marquez, Riki

Booked: Piti, Murillo

Goal: Ibanez 74

Referee: Jesus Gil

If Bale’s goal had dented Granada’s fragile defence, Ronaldo was about to crush it into one of those breakers’ yard scrap metal cubes with three quick goals that ended the match as a contest before the break.

On the half hour he took a pass from James Rodriguez – back in action after 60 days out with a broken toe – and found Oier’s far corner.

Six minutes later Ronaldo played the ball out to Marcelo and when Oier parried the full-back’s cross the Portuguese was on the spot to sweep it home.

And two minutes after that he completed his hat-trick from Bale’s pass. The Welsman’s ball found him in space down the left. Rodriguez made a run on the outside and as the defenders were dragged one way, Ronaldo dropped his shoulder the other and beat Oier who could only flap at the ball as it whooshed past him.

Granada came into the game having only won once at the Bernabeu back in 1974 – this clearly was not going to be the second win here in their history.

Not that they had not had chances to score themselves in the first half. When the score was still 0-0 Iker Casillas threw the ball straight to Robert Ibañez but the Granada winger sent his shot straight back at the Spain goalkeeper who was whistled by home supporters for his sloppy distribution.

Their next chance came when they were already four down with El Arabi’s shot crashing down off the underside of Casillas bar and spinning to safety just before half-time. It did not spark a second half revival.

Benzema scored goal number five, five minutes into the second half criminally given time to bring the ball down on his chest after a Rodriguez corner. Three minutes later Bale selfishly set-up Ronaldo for his fourth goal of the afternoon after receiving Marcelo’s pass. And Benzema then made it seven 10 minutes into the second period with a deflected shot from an Arbeloa assist.

Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Real Madrid 9-1 Granada

Gareth Bale rounds Granada goalkeeper Oier Olazabal to open the scoring during the La Liga match on Sunday

The Welsh winger knocks the ball in from a tight angle as he looks to silence his critics at the Bernabeu

Bale scored for Wales away on international duty and kept up his scoring form with a goal against Granada

Alvaro Arbeloa celebrates with Bale (left) while the BBC (Benzema, Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo) embrace eachother at the Bernabeu (right)

French striker Karim Benzema also notched a double as Real Madrid kept the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga

Benzema's two goals were overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo and he was taken off before he could get his hat-trick

The scorebard displaying the favourable result for Real Madrid at the end of the match at the Bernabeu

Cristiano Ronaldo takes on Granada defender Dimitri Foulquier on Real Madrid's left flank on Sunday

One fan asks Ronaldo for an autograph during the game on Easter Sunday in Madrid

SUPER STATS

Ronaldo scores five goals for first time in his career

First Real Madrid player to score five goals in a La Liga match since 2002 (Morientes vs Las Palmas)

Ronaldo has tied Di Stefano for most official hat-tricks (28) in Real Madrid history

Biggest defeat for Granada in La Liga history

Ronaldo joins Messi on 24 La Liga hat-tricks

Real Madrid were able to take off Rodriguez and Kroos – the first making a convincing return after his two month absence and the second needing the rest having been ever-present all season.

Ancelotti was also able to give Benzema the remainder of the afternoon off as Javier Hernandez came on for the last 25 minutes. He went close with a header and Ronaldo shot wide from another Bale assist as Real looked for more goals.

Granada made it 7-1 with Ibañez getting away from Arbeloa and sliding the ball beneath Casillas.

But the seven goal defecit was restored when Mainz put past his own keeper, converting a Modric cross for fear the ball would reach Ronaldo lurking at the back post hoping to score his fifth of the game.

It didn't stop him getting his fifth of the game right on full-time. Again it was a Modric cross and this time no-one prevented it reaching Ronaldo who headed in his 37th league goal of the season to make it 9-1.