With four defeats in their previous five outings and Barcelona having cut their league advantage from nine points to two, Real Madrid's season was in serious danger of imploding as they traveled south-west to Huelva on Saturday night.

Bernd Schuster's men had lost on their previous three visits to Andalusia - going down to Real Betis, Almeria and Sevilla - and it looked set to be another long night when lowly Recre took a 17th-minute lead through Martin Caceres.

But captain Raul drew Real level soon after and then two second-half goals from substitute Robinho helped seal a 3-2 victory in a fiery match that also saw three players sent off.

For Casillas, it was all about the points: "The team needed to win. This was the important thing and it doesn't matter how it was done, whether it was by playing well or badly."

The victory means Real now boast a five-point gap over second-placed Barcelona, who fell to a 4-2 defeat at Real's city rivals Atletico Madrid.

It also gives Real a huge boost heading into what could be a crucial week where they will try to overturn a 2-1 Champions League deficit against Roma and then host fifth-placed Espanyol in the league.

"We're happy with the result and with the one at the Calderon. We're back on the winning track and it has enabled us to recover some self-esteem ahead of the matches against Roma and Espanyol," added Casillas on his club's website.

The Spain international goalkeeper insisted they will not be getting carried away with the victory though, adding: "Now we have to be cautious. The league is not decided. The important thing is that we won again and got some confidence back.

"The league isn't won yet, it's won in May."