Real Madrid left it late but picked up a crucial 2-0 victory win over Valencia at the Mestalla, with a second-half breakthrough from Alvaro Carreras and a stoppage-time goal by Kylian Mbappe sealing the points.
The first half was cagey and short on clear openings. Madrid controlled the ball for long stretches, yet struggled to create clean chances against a compact Valencia shape.
Mbappe was the main outlet, repeatedly drifting left and trying to isolate defenders, but goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski dealt with his early efforts from tight angles.
A quick passing move also released debutant right-back David Jimenez, whose first-time shot was saved.
Valencia, meanwhile, looked most threatening on transitions. Arnaut Danjuma and Hugo Duro combined well on the flanks, and Lucas Beltrán flashed a header narrowly wide while Unai Nunez fired over from distance.
Despite the hosts producing pressure spells, Thibaut Courtois was rarely forced into a serious save before the interval, and the sides went in level at half-time.
After the restart, the match opened slightly. Valencia nearly struck first when Beltran met a low cutback and clipped the far post, their closest opportunity of the night.
Federico Valverde also tested Dimitrievski from long range, and Mbappe twice got behind the defence but failed to find the target.
The decisive moment arrived in the 65th minute. Dean Huijsen played a pass out to the left for Carreras, who advanced, beat several defenders while carrying the ball into the penalty area and finished low into the bottom corner to put Madrid 1-0 ahead.
Los Blancos began to look more dangerous on the break, with Mbappe running into channels and Brahim Diaz stretching the defensive line after coming on.
Valencia still threatened intermittently, with Umar Sadiq creating an opening late on, but a shot from the edge of the box flew over and their momentum faded.
In stoppage time Madrid confirmed the result. A long ball over the top caught Valencia exposed, Brahim timed his run to stay onside and squared across the area for Mbappe, who finished calmly from close range to make it 2-0.
The result moves Madrid one point behind Barcelona, keeping the La Liga title race in the balance.
