Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga on Saturday after Kylian Mbappé scored a brace in a 2-0 win at Villarreal. The French star netted early in the second half and added an injury-time penalty to send Madrid two points above Barcelona.
These were Mbappé's 20th and 21st goals in 20 La Liga appearances this season, extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts.
Coaching Change Sparks Turnaround
Madrid has stayed close to Barcelona despite erratic form that frustrated club executives and supporters. The club fired coach Xabi Alonso after losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final two weeks ago, only to suffer an embarrassing exit to a second-tier team in the Copa del Rey under replacement Álvaro Arbeloa.
Fan protests erupted during Madrid's last two home games, but a loss by Barcelona at Real Sociedad last weekend opened the door for Madrid to reclaim first place. Arbeloa has now overseen three consecutive victories.
Match Details
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 47th minute, pouncing on a loose ball after Vinícius Júnior's cross was deflected by Pape Gueye. The France forward slammed the ball under goalkeeper Luiz Júnior.
Vinícius Júnior's incisive play set up both goals, drawing jeers from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd earlier this week. Arbeloa praised the forward duo after the match.
"They are two of the best players in the world," Arbeloa said. "Winning at this ground has a lot of merit and it is thanks to the work of all my players."
Mbappé converted a penalty in injury time after being tripped by Alfonso Pedraza to seal the victory.
Villarreal still has one game to play but fell into fourth place, 10 points behind Madrid.
Around La Liga
Valencia edged Espanyol 3-2 after a controversial injury-time penalty. The referee awarded a spot kick when Rubén Sánchez was adjudged to have fouled Lucas Beltrán, despite video review upholding the decision. Largie Ramazani converted the winning penalty as Espanyol's winless run reached four games.
Sevilla fought back for a 2-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao, snapping a five-game winless streak. Osasuna also won 3-1 at Rayo Vallecano to move into eighth place.
Only four points separate Osasuna in eighth and Getafe in 17th in a compact lower half of the table.
A minute of silence was held before all weekend matches for the victims of two deadly train wrecks in Spain this week.