Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid bounced back from their previous La Liga defeat with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, moving level on points with Barcelona at the top of the table.
Real Madrid produced a dominant first-half display at the Santiago Bernabeu, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time to put the game largely beyond Rayo’s reach.
Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after Florian Lejeune brought down Alvaro Carreras. The French forward calmly sent Rayo goalkeeper Emil Audero the wrong way to give Madrid an early advantage.
Carreras then doubled the lead after combining with Mbappe following a Rayo defensive error under pressure from Vinicius Junior. The defender exchanged passes with Mbappe before drilling the ball into the net.
Jude Bellingham added Madrid’s third before the interval, finishing from Vinicius’ cutback after the Brazilian winger surged down the left flank.
Real Madrid’s commanding first-half performance came after they had suffered defeat against Real Betis in their previous league outing, making the response particularly important in their title challenge.
“It was fundamental to win, above all after losing the last game in La Liga,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV.
“We killed the game in the first half — that’s not easy, working like we did after the Champions League game, not just physically, but mentally.”
Rayo threatened to mount a comeback early in the second half when Pedro Diaz struck the post before Sergio Camello pulled one back in the 51st minute.
Camello capitalised on a mistake by Vinicius, who lost possession under pressure, allowing the forward to poke the ball past Thibaut Courtois.
The goal was Camello’s sixth of the campaign, taking him level with Barcelona’s Raphinha and Mbappe among the league’s leading scorers.
Rayo, however, could not complete the comeback as Courtois made several important saves to preserve Madrid’s advantage.
Mbappe continued to threaten and came close to adding another goal when his long-range effort struck the post.
Real Madrid eventually sealed the victory in stoppage time when Mbappe completed his brace with a low finish across goal after Arda Guler helped create the opening.
The goal took Mbappe’s tally to seven across all competitions this season and underlined his growing influence in Madrid’s attack.
Mourinho praised Guler for helping Madrid regain control of the game after Rayo’s second-half pressure.
“Arda is very good, he’s got a lot of quality, he influences the team’s play in a good way and today he made a difference in terms of the stability of the game,” he said.
Rayo coach Benat San Jose admitted that his side’s early mistakes had proved costly but praised his players for improving after the interval.
“Conceding the (early) penalty was a blow, then we had another mistake when bringing the ball out,” San Jose said.
“I think we could have scored in the first half too, but it’s true that they were better. We have to congratulate Madrid, but I’m proud of the players because the second half was much better.”
The result leaves Real Madrid level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga, although the champions can restore their lead when they visit Levante on Sunday.
Real Madrid will next travel to face Elche on Tuesday, while Rayo Vallecano host Espanyol.
Earlier on Saturday, Racing Santander defeated third-place Alaves 2-1, Espanyol won 2-0 at Osasuna, while Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 at home against Elche.