Yan Diomande earned Real Madrid a tight 1-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday to keep them six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, even though winger Vinicius Junior was sent off for hair-pulling.
Brazil international Vinicius, on as a substitute, scored but his goal was disallowed and then he was dismissed after a VAR review showed he pulled the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba.
Jose Mourinho’s Madrid battled through the final stages with 10 men but held on to win and go provisionally third.
Champions Barca lead La Liga after a 3-0 win over Getafe, while Atletico Madrid are five points behind in second after they edged Alaves 2-1.
Striker Kylian Mbappe was fit to start the match for Madrid at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium after suffering a knee problem playing for France during the international break.
There were a smattering of whistles for the superstar forward, with some fans believing he has been unprofessional in recent weeks, but also applause from other supporters.
Mbappe, a candidate for the Ballon d’Or trophy later this month, was Madrid’s most threatening player in the first half, although he had little competition.
Mourinho started with out-of-form winger Vinicius on the bench, following his trips to Australia and India with Brazil during the international break.
Madrid improved defensively, giving Villarreal few chances of note, but struggled to build much in attack themselves in a drab opening half.
Mbappe struck
