Mbappe brace sends Madrid back to the top
Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the first half as Real Madrid came back from conceding an early goal at Villarreal to win 2-1 and go back to the top of LaLiga.
Madrid fell behind to a scrappy goal in the seventh minute from Juna Oyth, who bundled the ball into the net as Los Blancos failed to deal with an early corner.
After a thrilling 4-4 draw at the same venue, panic might have set in for the visitors, but the lead last just 10 minutes, Mbappe lashing home after Brahim Diaz had his shot blocked at close range.
Six minutes later, Mbappe had his and Madrid's second after a blistering counter-attack from another Villarreal corner, which the Frenchman had started.
With his latest brace, Mbappe has now scored 20 goals in the Spanish top flight this season – more than any other Real Madrid player.
Madrid lost energy in the second half, no doubt a result of a tough week in the UEFA Champions League, where it needed extra-time and penalties to get past Atletico Madrid in a controversial Round of 16 second leg tie.
But Carlo Ancelotti will be pleased his team managed to hold on for the three points, with LaLiga title challengers Atletico and Barcelona set to play each other in a huge clash on Monday (AEDT).
Madrid is top of the league with 60 points, but Barca will go back to the summit with a victory over Atletico at Metropolitano, albeit only by goal difference.
Should Atletico claim victory, it will push Barcelona back into third and take second place, a point behind Madrid.
After the match, Ancelotti said his team will refuse to play matches if it is not given at least 72 hours of rest beforehand.
This contest came less than three full days after Madrid's punishing clash with Atletico in the UEFA Champions League.
"I think today is the last time we will play a game before 72 hours. We will never play a game with less than that," Ancelotti said.
"The team is exhausted, but that was to be expected. It's a victory that says a lot about our squad and the resources we have.
"I'm very proud. It was a tricky game, because of everything we went through, the hours of rest, and the strength of the opponent. They're a good team, but we struggled physically.
"The explanation is that this team has something special, character, commitment, but they can't always do it, sometimes I even get angry with them. We have to thank these players for their tremendous effort."
Ancelotti noted that his club had contacted LaLiga about the scheduling conflicts but had yet to receive an answer.
"The important thing for us was to win today, tomorrow I will watch the [Barcelona] game but as a football fan. The result doesn't matter," Ancelotti said.
