La Liga: Mbappe, Bellingham fire Real Madrid past Rayo Vallecano to close in on Barca

Real Madrid responded strongly to their surprise defeat by Real Betis as they swept aside city rivals Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu to move level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

Jose Mourinho’s side took control early, scoring three times before half-time to put the result beyond serious doubt. The victory also gave Madrid four wins from their first five league matches of the season.

Mbappe strikes from the spot

Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring after 14 minutes, calmly converting a penalty after Alvaro Carreras was brought down inside the area.

The France international then turned provider just three minutes later, picking out Carreras, who finished powerfully to double Madrid’s advantage.

Jude Bellingham added a third in the 35th minute. The England midfielder completed a flowing attacking move by meeting Vinicius Jr’s cut-back and side-footing the ball into the net.

Mbappe almost added another before the break when his powerful effort struck the woodwork in stoppage time. The miss denied him what would have been his sixth La Liga goal of the campaign.

Rayo offer brief resistance

Rayo Vallecano gave themselves hope shortly after the restart when Sergio Camello pulled one back early in the second half.

However, Madrid remained in control and eventually restored their three-goal advantage in stoppage time. Mbappe collected the ball before driving a low finish into the far corner to complete his brace.

The result extends Real Madrid’s dominant home record against Vallecano, with the capital club now winning 14 of their last 15 meetings with Rayo at the Bernabeu.

Madrid’s victory puts them level on points with Barcelona, although their rivals can move three points clear again when they face Levante on Sunday.