French superstar Kylian Mbappé scores on his return from injury to help Real Madrid to a crucial 2-1 win at Alavés.
Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo Goes gave Real Madrid a tense 2-1 victory over Alavés in La Liga and potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.
Second-placed Madrid reduced the lead of league leaders Barcelona to four points and recorded only their third win in the last nine games in all competitions.
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After a home defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a win would cost Alonso his job.
Following Mbappé's magnificent first goal on Sunday, Carlos Vicente pulled Alavés level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at the Mendizorrotza stadium.
Alonso was able to bring back his key player, Mbappé, after he could only watch the defeat against City from the bench due to knee discomfort.
The coach also gave Víctor Valdepeñas his debut at left back, with Álvaro Carreras and Fran García suspended, and Ferland Mendy being one of several injured players.
Mbappé seemed to feel his knee and limp in the first minutes, but despite that, he was the most influential player in the game.
The striker's shot was deflected wide and he then shot narrowly wide as Alavés sat deep and attempted to keep the 15-time European champions at bay.
When Mbappé opened the scoring in the 25th minute, his discomfort seemed to have dissipated.
Released by Jude Bellingham, Mbappé headed towards goal at full speed and fired into the top right corner for his 17th league goal of the campaign.
England international Bellingham then shot from close range, but his shot was ruled out for handball as the ball had hit his arm.
Needing to counterattack, Alavés went ahead and took control of the game before the break, almost tying.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a good header save, although he knew little about it, to deny Pablo Ibáñez from close range.
Los Blancos were dangerous again shortly after the break, with Alavés goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saving well from Mbappé and then Vinicius Junior.
They came to regret those mistakes when Vicente tied Alavés after 68 minutes.
The striker positioned himself behind Antonio Rudiger, controlled a pass from former Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco and beat Courtois.
Eduardo Coudet's men almost went ahead when Vicente's low cross from the right was deflected by Toni Martínez, who lost his balance when shooting under pressure from Raúl Asencio.
Instead, Madrid took the lead, with Vinicius bursting down the left and crossing for Rodrygo to finish from 6 yards.
It was the Brazilian's second goal in two games after going the previous 32 games without scoring, and Alonso celebrated it vehemently, knowing his future could depend on it.
Vinicius had his penalty appeals rejected and Bellingham came close in injury time as Madrid tried in vain to end the match and ease nerves.
Third-ranked Villarreal's visit to face Levante was postponed due to a weather warning in the Valencia region. Real Oviedo, 19th, dismissed coach Luis Carrión after the 4-0 win over Sevilla.
On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 to win a seventh consecutive La Liga match and ensure they top the table until 2026, regardless of what happens in the final round of matches before the winter break.
