César Soto Grado’s failure to award Villarreal an early penalty set the tone in a scrappy opening period, which saw goalmouth action at a premium. As the half progressed, the Yellow Submarine worked the channels well through Tajon Buchanan and Alberto Moleiro, albeit without really threatening, with Real’s Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe being reduced to chasing loose balls thanks to some brilliant man-to-man defending from the hosts.
As a result, the first shot on target didn’t arrive until the 20th minute when Arda Guler’s fine individual effort tested Luiz Junior, and his silky skills stood out more than once in the half.
Two teams renowned for playing good football were cancelling each other out and had to settle for battling for every ball. Vinicius, who hadn’t scored in the league since the reverse fixture in October, flashed a left-footed shot inches wide as half-time approached, and Pape Gueye saw a similar effort narrowly miss the target with the final effort of the half.
After a disappointing first half, Los Blancos needed just two minutes of the second period to hit the front, as Mbappe was quickest to a loose ball inside the box and fired home the opener with his first touch of the game in the Villarreal box.
The Frenchman’s fourth goal in three appearances prompted a period of Real dominance, which appeared ominous for the hosts as the visitors had won every league game they scored first in this term.
A well-worked free-kick between Dani Parejo and Gerard Moreno just after the hour almost brought the equaliser, but chances remained fleeting for Villarreal heading into the closing stages.
In stoppage time, another stunning burst of pace from Mbappé saw him brought down by Alfonso Pedraza inside the area, and the Frenchman made no mistake with a Panenka from the spot.
That put the contest to bed, meaning Villarreal dropped below Atletico Madrid in the league table after a third successive defeat across all competitions.
The result also means that Barcelona go into their fixture on Sunday against basement boys Real Oviedo knowing that they have to win in order to reclaim top spot from Real Madrid.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)