Real Madrid kept the good times rolling with a comfortable 3–0 win away against Valencia on Saturday night to extend their winning streak and continue their assault on the summit of La Liga.

It was a tricky start of the game for Real Madrid, who struggled to bypass a stout Valencia low-block as Javier Aguirre’s side seemed only interested in destroying Madrid’s attacks.

But Los Blancos wouldn’t be denied and took the lead 26 minutes in with the latest long distance rocket from captain Federico Valverde. The goal eased the tension, and after three minutes of uncontested possession, Los Blancos doubled their advantage in the 36th minute when Arda Güler volleyed home a deflected Jude Bellingham cross.

Real Madrid dominated the second half against the out-of-sorts hosts, and after multiple opportunities to increase the lead, Kylian Mbappé finally added a third when he went around the goalkeeper to bag his 13th league goal of the term. To make matters worse for Valencia, captain José Gayà got sent off in the twilight of the match.

Los Blancos have now won eight straight in all competitions entering the November international break. Mourinho’s men handled their business and will spend the night level with Barcelona atop the La Liga standings with the Catalans visiting Atlético Madrid on Sunday in a marquee clash in the title race.

The Moment That Decided the Match

Scoring the opener was always going to be the most important, yet most difficult mission of Madrid’s trip to Mestalla.

José Mourinho teased this was “one of the most difficult games of the season,” prior to the match. With Los Blancos facing a team and a manager that “aren’t concerned about playing marvelously well,” rescuing a result is all that matters.

Mourinho’s words were prophetic as Real Madrid were forced to get in a mud fight from the start. Valencia seemed content with the game ending scoreless from the moment the starting whistle sounded, defending deep with all their might and frustating Los Blancos with constant fouls that interrupted play and never allowed the visitors to get in a rhythm.

One of those fouls led to a dangerous free kick that Kylian Mbappé shot straight at the wall, but the rebound couldn’t have been kinder. The ball fell straight into Valverde’s path on the edge of the box, and after a perfect first touch, Madrid’s captain fired a low driven bullet into the bottom corner to give Los Blancos the lead just before the half hour mark.

At last, Valverde gave Los Blancos daylight and the advantage they so desperately needed to destroy Valencia’s game plan and control the game. Güler bagged the second less than 10 minutes later, and the game was effectively over by the time the halftime whistle blew.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Valencia (4-3-2-1)

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.9: He was never going to be tested constantly, but the two shots on target he faced were brilliantly dealt with.

RB: Federico Valverde—8.2: An argument could be made that there is no better ball striker from the edge of the box than Valverde. Brilliant goal and defensively stout.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.5: Arnaut Danjuma caused him some issues early, but Konaté eventually grew into the game and was beyond solid. A perfectly timed sliding tackle on Umar Sadiq, who would’ve been through on goal was the highlight of a fine showing from the Frenchman.

CB: Dean Huijsen—7.8: Dominant showing from Huijsen, who was a wall defensively and regularly helped Madrid progress up the pitch with accurate line-breaking passes.

LB: Marc Cucurella—8.1: Embraced Valencia’s gritty, at times dirty style and fought fire with fire. Protected the left flank, contributed to recovering possession constantly and was nearly flawless in his distribution.

DM: Bernardo Silva—7.6: Amid the chaos that was the opening exchanges, the game slowed down when the ball found it’s way to Silva. He offered clarity and creativity, finishing the game with the most chances created of any player on the pitch (four).

DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.4: Lacked urgency in possession at times and a costly turnover nearly was converted into Valencia’s opener.

RW: Arda Güler—8.9: Another goal and assist for Güler, who has arguably been Real Madrid’s best player this season.

AM: Jude Bellingham—7.9: Hounded by multiple markers routinely, which made him disappear at times. It was a difficult context for him, but he still contributed with a galloping run that ended in Güler’s goal. Enjoyed himself with more space to operate in the second half.

LW: Yan Diomande—8.1: Unselfishly pressed and tracked back to defend from the start, but Diomande also probed constantly and crafted some dazzling dribbles. Madrid’s most dangerous player.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.5: His movement was great and made a couple of electrifying runs, but he wasn’t as clinical in front of goal as he normally is. Nevertheless, six shots into his performance he finally found the back of the net.

SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (84‘ for Silva)—N/A

SUB: Brahim Díaz (84’ for Diomande)—N/A

SUB: Endrick (84’ for Güler)—N/A

SUB: Thiago Pitarch (90’ for Bellingham)—N/A

SUB: Carlos Espí (90’ for Mbappé)—N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Javi Navarro (GK), Álvaro Carerras, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Denzel Dumfries, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Yan Diomande is the real deal. Whether his signing was necessary or not is debatable, but the Ivorian winger has already adapted to his new team and is contributing both in attack and defense. He should keep his place on the left even when Vinícius Júnior is back available.
• Arda Güler and Federico Valverde continue to showcase incredible chemistry down the right flank. In theory, they’re playing out of position, but both must embrace their role—especially Valverde—because Madrid’s right wing is thriving.
• After a shaky defensive showing midweek, Dean Huijsen and Ibrahima Konaté returned to the XI, and order was restored. It’s true that Valencia never posed a major threat, but the pair dealt with any potential danger flawlessly. They are by far Madrid’s best options in the heart of defense.
• After the game against Barcelona and now against Valencia, it’s abundantly clear Jose Mourinho has discovered Real Madrid’s best XI. The firepower is there, but most importantly, Madrid look like a balanced side—something they haven’t been able to say for the better part of the last two years. Barring injury or significant drop in form, these 11 players should be first-choice in big games moving forward.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Dominant Win

• Real Madrid dominated on both ends. They registered 19 total shots, 11 of which were on goal and created six big chances. Meanwhile, Valencia had just two shots on goal and an xG of 0.16.
• Valencia tried to frustrate Madrid with constant fouling, evidenced by the 10 fouls they committed inside the opening 30 minutes. They finished the game with a staggering 26 fouls.
• Valverde has scored 26 La Liga goals in his career, and 16 of them have been strikes from outside the box.