Villarreal 0-2 Real Madrid: Report, result and goals as Mbappe sends Los Blancos top

Real Madrid moved top of LaLiga as Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the second half to secure a hard-fought 2-0 win at Villarreal.

Having thrashed Monaco 6-1 in the Champions League in midweek, Madrid came up against more stubborn opposition at Estadio de la Ceramica as they looked to at least temporarily leapfrog Barcelona.

Chances proved at a premium against a side that began the game third in the table, but Mbappe was clinical in firing home from close range two minutes into the second half.

Madrid struggled to kill the game off and had some shaky moments at the back as Villarreal sought an equaliser, but Mbappe’s stoppage-time penalty made sure of the points.

The victory moves Madrid two points clear of Barca, who host Oviedo on Sunday.

Mbappe the difference for Real Madrid

A distinct lack of clear-cut openings belied the free-flowing nature of the game and, when Arda Guler did fashion one with a brilliant run, Luiz Junior was equal to his near-post effort.

Vinicius Junior fired narrowly wide after a superb turn on the edge of the area, while, at the other end, Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye was unfortunate not to hit the target at the end of a surging run to the edge of the area.

Mbappe, though, made no mistake when Villarreal failed to deal with Vinicius’ cut-back from the byline, his low finish finally breaking the deadlock.

Villarreal should have levelled when Gerard Moreno blazed over following a well-worked free-kick routine, and the hosts would not get a better chance to claim a share of the spoils.

Instead, Mbappe gave the scoreline an air of comfort that was not reflected by events on the pitch.

Mbappe won the penalty when going down under Alfonso’s rash challenge, and he converted in style with a perfectly executed Panenka as Madrid survived a testing encounter.