Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo Goes were on target as Real Madrid ground out a tense 2–1 victory away to Alavés on Sunday, a result that may have eased the pressure on head coach Xabi Alonso.
The win trimmed league leaders Barcelona’s advantage to four points and marked only Madrid’s third victory in their last nine matches across all competitions.
Following Wednesday’s home defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League, Spanish media had reported that anything less than a win could cost Alonso his job.
Mbappé opened the scoring with a superb strike, but Carlos Vicente brought Alavés level in the second half before Rodrygo netted the decisive goal to secure a vital win for the visitors at Mendizorroza Stadium.
Alonso was able to recall Mbappé after the forward missed the City loss due to knee discomfort.
The coach was also forced to hand a debut to Víctor Valdepeñas at left-back, with Álvaro Carreras and Fran García suspended and Ferland Mendy among several players sidelined through injury.
Mbappé appeared troubled by his knee in the opening minutes and was briefly hobbling, yet he remained Madrid’s most influential player.
He saw one effort deflected wide and another sail narrowly over as Alavés sat deep in the early stages.
By the 25th minute, Mbappé’s discomfort seemed to have eased. Released by Jude Bellingham, he surged forward and curled a fine finish into the top-right corner for his 17th league goal of the season. Bellingham later thought he had doubled the lead from close range, but his effort was ruled out for handball.
Alavés responded positively and finished the first half strongly, almost equalising before the break. Thibaut Courtois made an instinctive save with his head to deny Pablo Ibáñez from close range.
Madrid threatened again after the interval, with Alavés goalkeeper Antonio Sivera producing good saves to keep out Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior.
Those missed chances proved costly when Vicente levelled in the 68th minute, controlling Antonio Blanco’s chipped pass before firing past Courtois.
Eduardo Coudet’s side nearly took the lead soon after, but Toni Martínez nudged Vicente’s low cross wide under pressure from Raúl Asencio.
Instead, Madrid struck again, as Vinícius broke down the left and delivered a cross for Rodrygo to finish from six yards.
It was Rodrygo’s second goal in as many games after a long barren run, and Alonso celebrated passionately on the touchline, aware of what the result meant.
Vinícius later had penalty appeals waved away, while Bellingham went close in stoppage time as Madrid sought to kill off the match.
Elsewhere, Villarreal’s trip to Levante was postponed due to a weather warning in the Valencia region, while 19th-placed Real Oviedo dismissed coach Luis Carrión following a 4–0 defeat at Sevilla.
On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2–0 to claim a seventh straight league win and ensure they will top the table heading into 2026, regardless of the final round of fixtures before the winter break.