Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has suggested that his players are deserving of praise following their 4-1 win away to Valencia on Saturday afternoon.

A couple of Cristiano Ronaldo penalties in the first half were added to by goals from Marcelo and Toni Kroos late on at the Mestalla, as Los Blancos returned to winning ways.

The pressure has been gradually building on Zidane following a poor 2017-18 to date, which reached a low on Wednesday night with defeat to Leganes in the last eight of the Copa del Rey.

After seeing his side claim a hard-fought win at Valencia, though, closing the gap on their third-placed opponents to two points in the process, the Frenchman claimed that there is still plenty left to fight for this season.

"We deserved the victory, especially for our start to the match," he told reporters after the match. "We were physically very good; sometimes it's more psychological than physical.

"I'm very happy with our performance; we played the game very well tactically. I will continue working in the way I have. We must congratulate everyone involved today.

"I will always be questioned, every day, but I won't change. The good thing about football is that you have so many matches. The situation was difficult and we played with a lot of personality. We are going to keep fighting because there is a lot of the season left."

Madrid return to action next Saturday with a home match against Real Sociedad, before welcoming Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League four days later.