Mbappe shines as Madrid reclaims top spot
Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid came back from behind to defeat visitor Las Palmas 4-1 and return to the top of the LaLiga standings.
After Atletico Madrid was stunned 1-0 by Leganes on Sunday (AEDT), Madrid opened up a two-point lead at the top over its local rival, while third-placed Barcelona trails the new leader by seven points after a 1-1 draw with Getafe.
Carlo Ancelotti's side did not have the best of starts at Santiago Bernabeu as Fabio Silva turned home a cross from Sandro to pull Las Palmas into the lead with only 28 seconds on the clock.
But Rodrygo earned a penalty for the hosts, which was converted by Mbappe to level the scores in the 18th minute.
Mbappe was behind Madrid's second goal too, as his initial effort was denied by Jasper Cillessen only for Lucas Vazquez to pick up the rebound and square it for Brahim Diaz to score in the 33rd minute.
Three minutes later, the France attacker made it 3-1 with a fine first-time effort into the top corner from a Rodrygo cross.
Rodrygo then netted Madrid's fourth in the 57th minute after a quick break before the visitors were reduced to 10 men when substitute Benito Ramirez received a straight red card for a studs-up tackle on Vazquez in the 64th minute.
This was Ancelotti's 150th LaLiga win with Madrid, a tally only surpassed by Miguel Munoz's 257 wins in the Spanish top flight with Los Blancos.
The Italian returned to Madrid for his second spell in 2021 and has won two LaLiga titles and three UEFA Champions Leagues with the reigning champion.
Mbappe, meanwhile, bagged his 300th club goal of his career when he scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1.
After this latest double, the 26-year-old Frenchman has 18 goals for Madrid while he also scored 27 for Monaco and 256 for Paris Saint-Germain.
Since the start of December, only Newcastle United's Aleksander Isak (12) has scored more goals in any competition than Mbappe, who has scored nine, in Europe's top five leagues.
Ancelotti expressed his delight with Mbappe's performance after the match having stood by his star forward during a difficult first half of the season for the Frenchman.
"[Mbappe is] the best centre forward in the world, there should be no doubt whether he could play in that position," Ancelotti said.
"He is a great striker who is very good playing in the centre, rather than on the wing, because that way he can make the most of his unique runs, with speed and technique.
"In times of difficulty, it is necessary to be self-critical and positive in order to move forward," Ancelotti said.
"There is criticism and criticism. The booing at the Santiago Bernabeu hurts, because the fans are not happy, but it motivates.
"It was an useful wake-up call for the team, who have put in a good performance.
"Football is like that, but I'm still a bit confused because I've heard that we play very bad football but here we are, LaLiga leaders."
