Vinícius Júnior netted 2 goals, leading a Real Madrid team without Mbappé to a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, thereby ascending to the top position in Spain.

Vinícius Júnior netted 2 goals, leading a Real Madrid team without Mbappé to a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, thereby ascending to the top position in Spain.

Vinícius Júnior successfully converted two penalties, leading a Real Madrid team that was without superstar Kylian Mbappé to a commanding 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Saturday, thus securing the top position in La Liga.

Mbappé remained on the substitutes’ bench after experiencing discomfort in his left knee, which caused him to miss several training sessions during the week. Madrid's coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, indicated on Friday that Mbappé was fit to play, yet it was clear that he preferred not to rush his star striker back into action.

There was no necessity for him to do so.

Both Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, observed as Madrid delivered a confident team performance that ended the visitors’ impressive 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, allowing them to move two points ahead of Barcelona, who are set to face Girona on Monday.

“I believe we executed a remarkable performance both defensively and offensively,” stated team captain Fede Valverde, who netted his first goal of the season. “We created numerous opportunities, yet we were unable to capitalize on them. It is true that they had their chances as well, but (goalkeeper Thibaut) Courtois was outstanding. The entire team played exceptionally well.”

It is possible that the team dinner at an upscale restaurant, funded by Mbappé and Vinícius on Tuesday, helped sharpen the players' focus ahead of their upcoming Champions League playoff match against Benfica next week. Gonzalo García initiated the scoring with a subtle touch to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross in the fifth minute. However, it turned out to be a largely disappointing match for the young forward, who was unable to take advantage of other promising opportunities.

Dean Huijsen committed a foul that resulted in a penalty for Yangel Herrera, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to equalize with a powerful shot from the spot in the 21st minute.

Referee Francisco José Hernández Maeso awarded another penalty just four minutes later when Jon Aramburu fouled Vinícius by catching his ankle. The Brazilian composed himself and successfully converted the penalty in the 25th minute.

Valverde gratefully scored the third in the 31st after being left too much space at the edge of the penalty box, and Gonzalo should have scored again when Valverde set him up for what looked like a simple tap in.

Vinícius made it 4-1 with his second spot kick after the break, awarded after Aramburu was again penalized for bringing him down.

Dani Carvajal made his long-awaited return around the hour mark when he replaced Alexander-Arnold for his first league appearance since Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Barcelona in October. Carvajal was reportedly unhappy that the 21-year-old Castilla player David Jiménez played at right back in Valencia last weekend.

“The most important thing is to win, for the team to get the three points and keep this momentum going,” Valverde said after the team’s eighth league victory in a row.

Iglesias perseveres for Celta

Borja Iglesias scored in stoppage time, after having another seemingly good goal ruled out through VAR, to salvage a 2-2 draw for Celta Vigo at Espanyol.

A rueful Iglesias shook his head and smiled after having a 77th-minute goal disallowed when a long check determined there had been an offside infringement.

His frustrations grew when Ramón Terrats pulled the ball back for fellow substitute Tyrhys Dolan to score what he thought was the winner for Espanyol in the 86th.

But Iglesias equalized in the third minute of stoppage time when Pablo Durán set him up with his heel after a good run from Sergio Carreira.

Espanyol remained sixth and Celta a point behind in seventh.

Also Saturday, Getafe held on to upset visiting Villarreal 2-1, and 10-man Sevilla drew with Alaves 1-1 in a duel between two strugglers.

Sevilla midfielder Juanlu was sent off in the 16th minute with his second yellow card for a bad challenge.

Sevilla coach Matías Almeyda was also sent off, late, and he raged against the referee before he could be persuaded to leave.