Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 at Mestalla on Saturday to pull provisionally level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona, extending their winning streak to eight matches across all competitions. Federico Valverde, Arda Güler, and Kylian Mbappé each scored in a match that was functionally over by halftime. The tactical headline: Madrid did this without Vinícius Júnior, who was serving the final game of a four-match ban. Rather than stalling without their most explosive attacker, Mourinho's side has accelerated. Since the Clásico win at Camp Nou on October 25, Madrid have looked like a squad whose depth has become its defining advantage — not a team missing a star, but one discovering it doesn't depend on one. Mbappé's form is the engine. His goal — a burst onto a Güler through-ball, a dink past Dimitrievski — was his 13th in La Liga this season, his 17th in 16 games across all competitions, and his seventh in consecutive matches. That is not a purple patch. That is a player who has integrated fully into a system and is now operating at the efficiency his transfer fee demanded. Valverde's opener, drilled from outside the box after a blocked free kick, and Güler's deflected second showed how Madrid are generating chances through multiple channels. Jude Bellingham was involved in both the buildup and several near-misses of his own. Dimitrievski kept the scoreline respectable with a string of saves; without him, this finishes 5-0 or worse. Valencia's night was encapsulated by José Gayá's red card with ten minutes left — a sliding foul on Mbappé that was both late and pointless, the kind of tackle that comes from frustration rather than strategy. Javier Aguirre's side had a Guido Rodríguez goal disallowed for offside and an early Aaron Mayol chance saved by Courtois, but these were isolated moments against a team that controlled territory almost completely after the 20th minute. The match paused in the ninth minute for a tribute to Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel, who died on Tuesday. Both sets of players and fans observed the moment. The pressure now falls squarely on Barcelona, who visit third-placed Atlético Madrid on Sunday. A draw or loss there would hand Madrid the effective lead. The title race, which Barcelona seemed to be pulling away with earlier in the season, is now a genuine two-horse contest — and the horse with momentum is wearing white.
