Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid held off a spirited fightback from Celta Vigo, moving within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona ahead of El Clasico next weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team took the lead in the 33rd minute when a short corner was worked to Arda Güler. His curling shot found the top corner, aided by a slight deflection.
Mbappé doubled Madrid’s advantage six minutes later with a powerful finish, sending the ball high past Celta goalkeeper Vicente Guaita at the end of a swift counterattack.
The French striker added his second just three minutes into the second half, running onto Güler’s excellent through ball and slotting it left-footed into the bottom corner.
However, Celta continued to push, and Javi Rodríguez pulled one back with just over 20 minutes remaining, scoring from close range after Madrid failed to clear a corner.
What seemed like it would be a comfortable win suddenly became tense when Celta legend Iago Aspas delivered a brilliant pass to fellow substitute Williot Swedberg, who made it 3-2 in the 76th minute.
Pablo Durán nearly equalized just two minutes later after being sent clear by another moment of skill from Aspas, but home goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois managed to recover after the initial shot slipped under his body.
As Celta searched for an equalizer, both teams had chances in a frantic finale, but Los Blancos held firm to secure a crucial three points.
This victory means that defending champions Madrid head to Barcelona next Sunday, knowing that a fifth straight league win would leave them just one point behind their fierce rivals, with three games remaining. Meanwhile, Celta remains in seventh place as they continue their fight for a European spot.
