Real Madrid claimed their eighth consecutive LaLiga win, closing the gap on leaders Barcelona to just one point with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium.

Los Blancos were looking to respond after Barcelona’s win over Mallorca the previous day, while Valencia, embroiled in a relegation scrap, set up to frustrate their visitors. Carlos Corberan’s side defended resolutely, forcing Real to show patience in the early stages.

Kylian Mbappé had an early opportunity blocked by Stole Dimitrievski at his near post and then set up David Jimenez, whose close-range effort was also denied by the North Macedonia goalkeeper. Despite their dominance, Real struggled to break down Valencia before half-time, with Mbappé growing increasingly frustrated upfront.

Valencia nearly caught Real off guard after the break when Arnaut Danjuma surged down the left and delivered a teasing cross to Lucas Beltran, whose unconventional right-footed strike skimmed past the post. The match looked set for a scrappy continuation until Real finally broke through in the 65th minute.

Alvaro Carreras showed determination to find space in the box and fired a right-footed shot through Eray Comert’s legs, beating Dimitrievski at the near post to give Los Blancos the lead. It was Carreras’ second goal of the season, both coming against Valencia. Moments later, Beltran almost equalized for the hosts, but his sliding left-footed strike clipped the post after Filip Ugrinic’s clever pass.

In stoppage time, Mbappé sealed the win with a clinical first-time finish past Dimitrievski, marking his 38th club goal of the season.

While not a flawless display from Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, the victory extended his perfect record to four league wins in charge and kept Real Madrid hot on the heels of Barcelona in the title race.

For Valencia, it was another battling performance that yielded no points. The side now sits just a point above the relegation zone following a third straight defeat across all competitions, leaving the threat of demotion very much alive.