VILLARREAL, Spain, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Kylian Mbappe struck twice in the second half as Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory at Villarreal on Saturday, climbing above Barcelona to take provisional pole position in LaLiga.
The win moved Alvaro Arbeloa's side to 51 points, two clear of second-placed Barcelona, who host bottom club Oviedo on Sunday. Villarreal are fourth, level on 41 with Atletico Madrid.
Real dominated from the outset, with Vinicius Jr causing endless problems on the left flank.
The Brazilian's pivotal moment came just after halftime when he weaved past defenders in the 47th minute and fed Mbappe inside the penalty area, leaving the French forward an easy finish from close range.
Real continued to control the tempo and Mbappe sealed the win in stoppage time, converting from the penalty spot after being clumsily fouled inside the box.
REAL DICTATE COMPELLING ENCOUNTER
In a compelling encounter in the first half, Real dictated the rhythm while the home side tried to hit back with quick counter attacks.
Vinicius came closest to a breakthrough in the first half, narrowly missing the target with a low shot in the 40th minute after a surging run.
Villarreal's best chance came through their Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye's powerful effort from the edge of the box that went just wide on the stroke of halftime.
The second half began with drama two minutes in when Gueye's misplaced pass was intercepted by Vinicius.
The Brazilian darted into the box, reached the byline and cut the ball back for Mbappe. Villarreal's defence managed a partial clearance but Mbappe reacted quickest, smashing the rebound into the net for his first goal of the evening.
Villarreal's best chance came in the 62nd minute when Gerard Moreno, unmarked inside the box after a precise Dani Parejo pass, blasted his first-time shot over the crossbar.
Real sealed the win in stoppage time. Vinicius released Mbappe with a perfectly weighted pass and as the Frenchman charged into the box he was brought down from behind by Alfonso Pedraza.
Mbappe, the league's top scorer, stepped up to calmly chip the resulting penalty into the middle of the goal for his 21st goal in 20 LaLiga appearances this season.
"(Vinicius and Mbappe) are the two best in the world," manager Alvaro Arbeloa told Real Madrid TV.
"They are very disruptive. We try to get them to touch the ball as much as possible, explore situations where Vini can go out wide and Kylian can break into space.
"We are very happy to have them in this form, they are the first two who are pressing, helping the midfielders, showing the solidarity we need from them, and we are very happy that the reward comes in the form of goals."
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
