Mbappé brace lifts Real Madrid to La Liga top with 2-0 win at Villarreal

Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga today (25 January) as Kylian Mbappé scored twice in a 2-0 victory at Villarreal, giving the club a two-point lead over Barcelona.

Mbappé opened the scoring early in the second half and added a penalty in stoppage time, marking his 20th and 21st goals of the season in 20 league appearances. Barcelona will need to defeat bottom-placed Real Oviedo at home today to reclaim first place.

The victory comes amid turbulence at the Santiago Bernabéu. Madrid replaced coach Xabi Alonso following a Super Cup defeat to Barcelona, and his successor Álvaro Arbeloa endured a difficult debut with a Copa del Rey exit to a second-division team. Fan protests followed two recent home wins, but Arbeloa has now guided Madrid to three consecutive victories.

Arbeloa praised Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior for their decisive contributions. "They are two of the best players in the world, they break down defenses and we try to get them as many touches as we can," he said.

Villarreal, now fourth in the standings, saw Pape Gueye return to the starting lineup following his Africa Cup of Nations heroics with Senegal. The hosts' best chance came when Gerard Moreno was left unmarked in the 63rd minute but fired over. Argentina defender Juan Foyth left the field with a leg injury in the first half.

Elsewhere, Valencia edged Espanyol 3-2 with a controversial stoppage-time penalty, Sevilla overcame Athletic Bilbao 2-1, and Osasuna defeated Rayo Vallecano 3-1. The league's lower half remains tightly packed, with just four points separating 8th-placed Osasuna and 17th-placed Getafe.

A minute of silence was observed before all matches this weekend for the victims of two deadly train accidents in Spain this week.