Real Madrid survived a late scare to defeat Celta Vigo 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, reducing the gap to league leaders Barcelona to four points ahead of next weekend’s crucial El Clásico.
Kylian Mbappé struck twice to move within one goal of Robert Lewandowski in the Pichichi Trophy race, while Arda Güler opened the scoring with a stunning first-half strike as Los Blancos responded to a sluggish start.
Madrid failed to register a shot on target for the opening half hour, but Güler broke the deadlock with a curling effort following a short corner routine.
Minutes later, Jude Bellingham led a swift counter-attack and teed up Mbappé, whose powerful finish doubled the lead.
Mbappé added his second just after the break, latching onto a through ball from Güler before calmly slotting past Vicente Guaita for his 24th La Liga goal of the campaign.
What looked like a routine win turned tense in the final 20 minutes.
Celta pulled one back through Javi Rodríguez before Williot Swedberg made it 3-2 after a slick assist from Iago Aspas.
Pablo Durán nearly equalised late on, but Madrid held firm.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain firmly in the hunt for the La Liga title, with the visit to Camp Nou next Sunday set to be a defining moment in the race.
