Real Madrid returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 4-1 victory over local rivals Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu on Saturday night. Goals from Kylian Mbappe (x2), Alvaro Carreras and Jude Bellingham ensured Jose Mourinho’s side move up to 2nd in the La Liga standings, bouncing back from last weekend’s defeat at Real Betis.
Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
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Made a number of important saves, including one in the second half that stopped Rayo scoring for a second time – which would have mounted the pressure on Real Madrid.
Denzel Dumfries – 6.5/10
Arguably his best performance in a Real Madrid jersey. He was not too involved in attack, but he was much more solid in defence than he has been, and this will have greatly pleased Mourinho.
Ibrahima Konate – 6.5/10
Konate did not have too much to do, although his pace did bail out Real Madrid on a couple of occasions. He was also unlucky not to block Rayo’s goal, which went through his legs.
Antonio Rudiger – 6.5/10
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Preferred to Dean Huijsen, Rudiger did well in only his second start of the season. Like Konate, he did not have much to do, although his intercepted pass did lead to Rayo’s goal.
Alvaro Carreras – 8.5/10
He’s had a tough start to the season, especially with Marc Cucurella coming in and taking the starting left-back berth. He was given a chance here, and he more than took it, drawing a foul inside the penalty area that led to Mbappe’s opener, before finding the back of the net himself with a tidy effort three minutes later.
Federico Valverde – 6/10
Valverde struggled in the first half, and with two matches coming up in the next week, the decision was made to give him a rest for the second period.
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Bernardo Silva – 7/10
He was Real Madrid’s midfield organiser against Rayo, and it was a role that he looked very comfortable in. He helped move the ball around well in his 70 minutes on the pitch, executing Mourinho’s demands to perfection.
Yan Diomande – 7.5/10
Diomande finally made his first start in a Real Madrid jersey, and he looked very promising. He was a regular threat in the first half, and while he tailed off in the second, supporters will hope this performance was a sign of things to come for the Ivorian.
Jude Bellingham – 8/10
Everything Real Madrid did against Rayo came through Bellingham. There is little doubt that the Englishman is one of the most important players in the team, and he solidified that role with another goal, this one making it 3-0.
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Vinicius Junior – 7/10
Vinicius tried so hard to get a goal that would have brought the Real Madrid fans more on to his side, but he did not get in. He did set up Bellingham’s goal, while he was too slow to react to Rudiger’s pass in the second half, which led to Rayo making it 3-1.
Kylian Mbappe – 8.5/10
Mbappe was very sharp in the opening stages, and he was rewarded with a goal from the penalty spot after 14 minutes. He kept going after that, despite not having much to feed on in the second half, and he eventually added his second in stoppage time.
Substitutes
Eduardo Camavinga – 6/10
Decent performance from Camavinga, who replaced Valverde at half time.
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Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10
Second appearance of the season for Tchouameni, who helped Real Madrid wrestle back control in the closing stages upon being introduced.
Arda Guler – 6.5/10
Guler was excellent in his cameo, with his reward being to set up Mbappe for Real Madrid’s fourth goal in stoppage time.
Marc Cucurella – 6/10
Came on in the closing stages.
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