Kylian Mbappe netted his 38th goal of the campaign as Real Madrid secured a seventh consecutive La Liga win, moving to within one point of leaders Barcelona.
The French striker tapped in from a low cross deep into second-half stoppage time to seal the victory, after Alvaro Carreras had earlier given the visitors the lead midway through the second half.
Madrid found it difficult to break through a well-organised Valencia side for much of the match. Carreras eventually made the breakthrough, forcing his way beyond two defenders before firing a low right-footed shot into the corner 20 minutes after the restart.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s team – missing suspended Vinicius Junior and injured Jude Bellingham –controlled possession early on but failed to seriously test Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. Their pressure gradually increased, with Arda Guler seeing a low effort deflected wide and Dimitrievski pushing away a fierce strike from Mbappe.
The Valencia keeper later produced an even finer save to divert David Jimenez’s first-time attempt past the post.
Valencia threatened as well, with Arnaut Danjuma’s deflected left-footed drive going wide in the first half, while Lucas Beltran glanced a Danjuma cross off target shortly after the interval. Beltran also came close to equalising five minutes after Carreras’ goal, but his first-time shot clipped the outside of the post.
Mbappe’s late finish ensured all three points for Madrid, keeping them level with Barcelona’s weekend win over Mallorca and maintaining the one-point gap at the top. Valencia remain 17th, just one point above the relegation zone, though they have played one game more than the teams below them.
