Valencia 0-3 Real Madrid: Mbappé and Güler pile pressure on Barcelona

Real Madrid did the job without breaking a sweat. On Saturday night, in La Liga matchday 12, José Mourinho's side won 3-0 at Mestalla against a Valencia team stuck near the bottom of the table. Federico Valverde, Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé got the goals, and Real moved level with Barcelona on 30 points at the top. Barcelona still have a game in hand, and it is a big one: a trip to third-placed Atlético Madrid on Sunday.

Valverde opens, Güler adds the second

Real took control early. Valencia sat deep with a back five, and Madrid passed the ball around for almost half an hour before finding a way through. In the 28th minute, Mbappé's free kick hit the wall. The ball came back to Valverde, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner for 1-0.

Eight minutes later, Arda Güler made it 2-0. The Turkish midfielder struck first time from a slightly deflected Jude Bellingham cross, leaving Stole Dimitrievski no chance. At half-time Real led by two and had enjoyed around three quarters of possession. Valencia had managed just one shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

Mbappé seals it, Valencia end with ten

Javier Aguirre tried to spark a reaction by sending on Luis Rioja at the break. Valencia pressed a little higher, and Thibaut Courtois had to deny Aaron Mayol. Still, Madrid were never seriously troubled.

In the 75th minute, Güler slipped Mbappé through. The Frenchman rounded Dimitrievski and rolled the ball into an empty net. According to ESPN, it was his 17th goal of the season in all competitions. The France captain has been scoring almost every time he plays for weeks now, and he remains the biggest threat in this Madrid side.

Four minutes later, José Gayà brought Mbappé down as he broke clear, and the referee sent the Valencia captain off. Over the 90 minutes Real had close to 70 percent of the ball and tried 19 shots, 11 of them on target. Valencia put only two on target.

Eight wins in a row for Mourinho

The result matters, and so does the run. This was Real's eighth straight win across La Liga and the Champions League. They have lost only twice in the league (10 wins, 2 defeats) and have a goal difference of +21. All of that without Vinícius Júnior: according to ESPN, the Brazilian was serving the last game of a four-match ban.

Arda Güler keeps growing in importance. A goal and an assist at Mestalla, and a real understanding with Mbappé around the box. Valverde, used at right-back, scored for the second game running after his strike against AEK Athens in the Champions League.

After the game Mourinho kept things light, joking about the "horrible music" his players put on in the dressing room to celebrate.