Kylian Mbappe struck for the fourth consecutive game as Real Madrid survived a late scare to beat Alaves 3-2 in La Liga on Tuesday. Real Madrid, second, cut the gap on Barcelona to one point before the leaders host Getafe on Wednesday. Madrid dismantled Alaves with goals from Lucas Vazquez, Mbappe and Rodrygo before a late salvo from the visitors rocked Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Carlos Protesoni and Kike Garcia scored two goals in two minutes in the final stages but Madrid held on.

“This is football, you can think the game has finished, (then there’s) a small slip and they score the first, they get confidence and you lose it, this is what happens,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“Obviously we don’t want this to happen, but it can. 

“We have to highlight that for an hour the team played well and that gives us confidence.”

Los Blancos overpowered Alaves from the start in what was a hugely uneven contest for most of the game, despite the Basque side’s solid start to the season.

Ancelotti brought Vinicius Junior back into the starting line-up and gave Vazquez a rare start and the pair combined inside the first minute.

The Brazilian winger surged in from the left flank and cut the ball back for a simple finish from Vazquez.