Kylian Mbappe grabbed a brace in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Villarreal to go top of La Liga having played a game more than city rivals Atletico Madrid and two more than FC Barcelona.
Villarreal got into the lead on the day in the opening quarter of the game through Juan Foyth, only to have the lead cancelled out by Mbappe, who went on to grab his second five minutes after.
The final minutes of the first half saw Madrid continue to dominate yet fail to kill the game and earn some breathing space against the yellow submarine.
The second half at La Ceremica was a completely different story. Villarreal dominated possession and came close to scoring many times yet were denied by the brilliance of Thibaut Courtois as Real held on to ultimately grab the victory.
The win means Madrid sit top of the standings in the race for the first time since early February, and they will be hoping Atletico and Barcelona share the spoils at the Metropolitano on Sunday to keep their place on top of the league.
Mbappe’s brace means he edges Ronaldo Nazario on goals scored (31) in a debut season at Madrid, as the Frenchman now sits with 20 in the pinchichi race, only one behind Barca’s Robert Lewandowski.
