Real Madrid turned in a complete performance against a poor Valencia side, with Kylian Mbappe grabbing two and Jude Bellingham finding form in Saturday's 4-0 romp at Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos did most of their damage in the first half, and were able to overcome a missed penalty from Vinicius Jr to seal a comfortable win.
Madrid were in control from the first minute, and peppered the Valencia goal often. Vinicius came close in the opening exchanges, cutting onto his left before forcing a tidy save while Bellingham saw a similar effort be kept out soon after.
Instead, a bit of luck gave Los Blancos the lead, as they were handed a soft penalty after a Valencia defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box and Mbappe converted it with one swift stroke. The second didn't require any fortune; Mbappe scored it, capping off a fine flowing move with a simple tap-in, thanks to a delightful set up from Arda Guler. Bellingham then made it three shortly before half-time, putting an exclamation mark on a wonderful performance with a curled effort from outside the box.
Vinicius endured a more difficult evening as things wore on. Mbappe handed the Brazilian a spot-kick, but he fired right at the 'keeper, and everything from there felt slightly rushed before Vinicius was replaced with 15 minutes to go. Not that it mattered to the rest of the Madrid team, though, and Alvaro Carreras added an audacious fourth late on, smashing into the top corner from the edge of the box to cap off a commanding Madrid win. Next stop, Anfield in the Champions League.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Bernabeu…
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Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Didn't really have a save to make. Nice to get himself a clean sheet.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
Made one wonderful recovery challenge, had a couple of looks on goal. Much improved after a rough start to the season.
Eder Militao (7/10):
A solid shift at the back. Will be happy to have had a quieter evening.
Dean Huijsen (7/10):
Won his headers, strong in his tackles, subbed after 70 minutes after a tidy night.
Alvaro Carreras (8/10):
Opened his Madrid goal account with a lovely strike. Kept things tidy defensively.
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Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):
A middling showing. Won his tackles, got booked, hooked at half-time.
Arda Guler (8/10):
Created a couple of chances and grabbed himself an assist. A solid 45 minutes.
Jude Bellingham (8/10):
Looks like somewhere nearing his best. Scored a great goal, ran the midfield, and was much more decisive on the ball.
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Franco Mastantuono (6/10):
Full of turns and tricks, but seldom entirely convincing. Tried to overplay a bit, and made the wrong decision here and there.
Kylian Mbappe (8/10):
Inevitable from the first minute. Comfortable from the spot to open things, tidy from close range for his second. Generously forwent a hat-trick opportunity to give Vinicius a go.
Vinicius Jr (7/10):
Really impactful and dangerous on the ball in the first half – even if he was a little lacking in his finishing. Put his penalty right at the 'keeper, and seemed to get frustrated after.
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Dani Ceballos (7/10):
Kept things ticking over in midfield after the break.
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Made a couple of nice interventions, offered some bite in midfield.
Raul Asencio (7/10):
Extra legs at the back – and effective ones at that.
Endrick (N/A):
Immensely surprising to see him out there for the first time all season.
Rodrygo (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xabi Alonso (8/10):
His second-best night in the job yet. Madrid scored four and looked in total control. Washed down the Clasico in fine fashion – attention now turns to Liverpool.