Real Madrid were forced to defend a narrow victory over Villarreal after Vinicius was sent off, with three of their biggest names struggling to influence the match.
Jose Mourinho’s side once again failed to make a win comfortable. The Portuguese manager’s teams have become accustomed to matches defined by tension, controversy and emotion, with the margin often minimal and the performance itself offering little comfort.
Real Madrid eventually held on while playing with 10 men. The main positives were another assured display from Thibaut Courtois and Arda Guler, a surging run from Federico Valverde and Yan Diomande’s first goal.
However, three high-profile players were judged to have performed poorly in the victory. Euro-football.ru gave Real Madrid’s players subjective ratings, using six as the starting mark and 10 as the possible maximum by the final whistle.
Vinicius received the lowest score, with a rating of 2.0.
The Brazilian had made a promising start, creating a chance for Kylian Mbappe before scoring himself after an excellent burst forward. But his evening unravelled after he was involved in an incident with Saliba before kick-off, when he openly grabbed the defender by the hair.
That act was described as rude, foolish and completely unnecessary. Vinicius was shown a deserved red card, leaving his team to play a large part of the match a man down. His behaviour overshadowed what had been a useful contribution and left Real Madrid seriously exposed.
Jude Bellingham was rated 3.0. The midfielder had been short of energy, but he produced one outstanding individual run and finished it by setting up a goal. That was the only particularly impressive moment in his performance, and it was ultimately overshadowed by Vinicius’ dismissal.
Bellingham also struggled when attempting to accelerate attacks. He misplaced nine of his 30 passes in advanced areas, lost eight of 13 duels and was booked.
Mbappe also received a score of 3.0. The France forward wasted three chances and was caught offside three times. His movement was promising, but his finishing repeatedly let him down.
With Mbappe unable to convert the opportunities that came his way, Real Madrid’s midfield work was left without reward. The Frenchman must improve his finishing quickly if Mourinho’s side are to turn their attacking play into more convincing results.