Real Madrid 4-1 Sevilla: Mbappé scores twice as Güler and Diomande strike before Clásico

Kylian Mbappé scored twice, the second a Panenka penalty, as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 at the Bernabéu on Sunday to stay six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona before next weekend's Clásico. Arda Güler opened the scoring with a curling strike, and Yan Diomande hit a late fourth moments after Manu Bueno had pulled one back for Sevilla.

The night also marked the return of Éder Militão, who came on in the 85th minute for his first appearance since an injury on 21 April.

Match facts

• Result: Real Madrid 4-1 Sevilla (half-time 2-0)
• Competition: La Liga, Matchday 9
• Venue: Estadio Bernabéu, Madrid
• Scorers: Real Madrid - Arda Güler 30', Mbappé 37', 63' (pen), Diomande 82'; Sevilla - Manu Bueno 80'
• Assists: Real Madrid - Yan Diomande (30'), Jude Bellingham (37'), Aurélien Tchouaméni (82'); Sevilla - Lucas Stassin (80')
• Red cards: None
• Next: Real Madrid v RB Leipzig (Champions League), Wednesday 21 October; Barcelona v Real Madrid, Sunday 25 October; Sevilla v Osasuna, Monday 26 October

How the match unfolded

The game started at a high tempo, and Thibaut Courtois saved from Robbie Ure in the third minute. The flashpoint came in the 23rd minute: as Peque Fernández tried to stop Güler's run, the Turkey midfielder's arm caught the Sevilla player, who stayed down for treatment. Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer took no action against Güler and VAR did not intervene, although Sevilla felt Güler should have been sent off. Dean Huijsen and Félix Correia were both booked in the aftermath.

Seven minutes later Güler made the breakthrough. Bellingham started a quick counter-attack, Diomande carried it on and Güler curled a left-footed shot from the edge of the box into the top corner, beyond Odysseas Vlachodimos.

Vlachodimos saved from Mbappé in the 33rd minute, but he could do nothing about the second goal four minutes later. Bellingham set Mbappé up with a backheel at the edge of the area, and the France striker turned away from Kike Salas, rounded the goalkeeper and finished. Sevilla came close in first-half stoppage time, when Courtois dived to keep out Lucien Agoumé's shot.

Sevilla brought on Chidera Ejuke at half-time and looked livelier. Around the hour mark Federico Valverde deflected an acrobatic effort from Correia behind, and moments later Real went 3-0. Andrés Castrín brought Mbappé down in the box, and the Frenchman chipped the 63rd-minute penalty down the middle.

In the 80th minute substitute Manu Bueno took Stassin's pass and curled a low left-footed shot into the far corner. Within two minutes Diomande answered, running through the middle and hammering a right-footed shot from outside the box into the top corner. Courtois then kept out an effort from Youssouf Fofana, and Militão replaced Valverde in the 85th minute to an ovation from the home crowd.

What it means

Real Madrid are third on 21 points from nine games, one behind Atlético Madrid and six behind Barcelona, who have won all nine. They had 65% of the ball and eight shots on target to Sevilla's five. The club said it was their sixth win from six home matches this season.

The result followed Real's 4-3 comeback win at Roma in the Champions League in midweek, and José Mourinho's side managed it without Vinícius Júnior, who is serving a four-match ban that also rules him out of the Clásico.

Sevilla, who drew 3-3 at Levante last time out, drop to sixth on 14 points.

What's next

Real Madrid host RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday (20:00 UK), then visit Barcelona on Sunday 25 October (20:00 UK). Luis García Plaza's Sevilla host Osasuna at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Monday 26 October (20:00 UK).

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