Coming into the contest on the back of five straight wins across all competitions, Villarreal started in confident fashion, and nearly took a shock early lead when Francis Coquelin directed an audacious backheel against the base of the post. Having survived an opening 15 minutes dominated by the hosts, Los Blancos gradually grew into the match before the half-hour mark, however the usually-reliable Karim Benzema and defender Éder Militão both fired excellent chances narrowly wide of the target.
In an opening half devoid of cutting edge in front of goal, both sides looked to up the ante before HT in pursuit of a breakthrough. Vinícius Júnior, a constant threat in behind the Villarreal defence, came close, but was denied by a smart Pepe Reina save, whereas Dani Parejo saw a sweetly-struck volley comfortably held at the other end by Thibaut Courtois.
Villarreal emerged after the restart eager to stamp their authority on proceedings, and duly opened the scoring within two minutes, as Yeremy Pino collected a clever pass from Gerard Moreno, before finishing coolly beyond Courtois. Undeterred by the setback, the visitors searched for an immediate response, and after Benzema spurned another glorious opportunity, the French international made no mistake from the penalty spot following an unfortunate handball by Juan Foyth in the box.
Remarkably, the hosts were awarded a penalty of their own just two minutes later, when David Alaba was penalised for handball, allowing Moreno to step up and restore the Yellow Submarine’s advantage. This set up a fascinating final 20 minutes, with Real Madrid desperately searching for a late leveller - one that would have, at least temporarily, sent them top of the league standings.
However, despite seeing plenty of the ball and a late opportunity for Antonio Rüdiger, Los Blancos were unable to make their pressure count, as the Villarreal rearguard held firm to inflict a costly defeat on the title-chasing visitors.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)
