Carreras solo and late Mbappe strike keep Real Madrid near Barcelona

Alvaro Carreras produced a memorable solo goal and Kylian Mbappe added a stoppage-time finish as Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-0. The win was far from flawless, but the second-half goals spared Madrid an uncomfortable night and left them still in the title race after a difficult winter spell.

Madrid offered little attacking threat before the break in the absence of the suspended Vinicius Jr. Mbappe had three chances in the first 30 minutes without testing Stole Dimitrievski seriously, while Valencia struck the post through Filip Ugrinic shortly after Carreras' opener.

Carreras slalomed through the defence and finished with his weaker foot, and Madrid sealed the victory when Valencia pushed men forward and Brahim Diaz squared to Mbappe for the late second. Individual marks from the match reflected a mixed display. Thibaut Courtois was given 6/10 after a couple of tidy saves, David Jimenez earned 7/10 on his full debut, and Dean Huijsen also received 7/10.

real madrid, valencia, alvaro carreras, kylian mbappe, vinicius jr, brahim diaz, thibaut courtois, david jimenez, dean huijsen, filip ugrinic