Real Madrid beat Athletic Club resoundingly to end a three-game winless run and move a point behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, but Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of two important players to suffer an injury blow.
Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga put Xabi Alonso’s side in control by half-time, before Mbappe scored his 16th league goal of the season to kill the contest.
After providing his first assist since joining Real from Liverpool in the summer, Alexander-Arnold went off with an apparent leg issue in what was his fifth appearance since returning from a hamstring injury.
In the seventh minute Mbappe expertly controlled a diagonal cross-field pass from Alexander-Arnold, then drove towards the penalty area, brilliantly skipped past two defenders and fired into the right corner.
The Frenchman followed that stunning strike by turning provider in the 42nd minute when he headed Alexander-Arnold’s clipped delivery back across the face of goal for Camavinga to nod into an empty net.
Mbappe scored his second goal of the game just shy of the hour mark with a dipping low effort that caught out Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon.
However, victory was marred by injuries to Alexander-Arnold – who missed seven games with his hamstring problem earlier this season – and Camavinga.
In the past month Real relinquished a five-point lead at the top of the table with three straight draws, so head coach Alonso will be pleased to now be keeping Barcelona within touching distance.
Athletic Club’s poor run continued as a seventh defeat in their past 12 league games leaves them eighth in the table with 20 points.
