Los Blancos made the trip to Mestalla to face a resilient Valencia side determined not to give in easily. The encounter was shaped by disciplined defensive structures and a tense midfield battle that kept clear scoring opportunities to a minimum at both ends.
Alvaro Carreras opened the scoring with a fantastic solo effort in the 65th minute, cutting in off the left wing before beating Stole Dimitrievski at his near post.
The visitors only managed to secure the win a minute into stoppage time when Brahim Diaz played in Kylian Mbappe, who slotted his 23rd goal of the season to extend his lead as the league’s top scorer and secure a hard-fought 2-0 win for Real Madrid.
Eslewhere in LaLiga on Sunday, Atletico Madrid lost ground on the top two after falling to a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis at home with Antony scoring the winner in the 28th minute.
READ: Real Madrid face defensive test as Arbeloa prepares for Villarreal showdown
Athletic Bilbao overcame Levante 4-2 in a humdinger at San Mames. The home side were sitting pretty on a 2-0 lead after a first half brace from Gorka Guruzeta before the game went haywire in the final moments.
Unai Elgezabal pulled one back for Levante in the 81st minute before Nico Serrano restored Bilbao’s 2-0 lead five minutes later.
Jon Ander Olasagasti cut the advantage once again four minutes into stoppage time with Robert Navarro scoring five minutes later to ensure Athletic Club would get their win.
Sevilla and Girona drew 1-1 in dramatic fashion at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. Thomas Lamar opened the scoring for the in just the second minute and they held the lead the entire match before Kike Salas rescued a draw for Sevilla with an equaliser two minutes into stoppage time at the end of the game.
Luis Vazquez’ 53rd minute strike and Mauro Arambarri’s 72nd minute penalty were enough to secure a 2-0 win for Getafe over Deportivo Alves at Estadio de Mendizorroza.
On Saturday, Barcelona thrashed Mallorca 3-0 at Camp Nou with Robert Lewandowski (29′), Lamine Yamal (61′) and Marc Bernal (83′) all getting on the scoresheet.
Real Sociedad got the better of Elche 3-1 at Reale Arena thanks to goals from Luka Sucic (24′), Mikel Oyarzabal (37′) and Orri Steinn Oskarasson (89′), with Andre Silve grabbing a consolation goal for the visitors in the 42nd minute.