Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real Madrid earned a commanding 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, pulling the club level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga after a difficult week that had tested manager Jose Mourinho's squad.

The win marked a bounce-back performance for Real Madrid following a loss to Real Betis in their previous league outing, and it came just days after the team's midweek Champions League fixture against Inter Milan. Mourinho's side wasted little time asserting control over their crosstown rivals, building a three-goal cushion before halftime.

A fast start puts the game away early

Real Madrid opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Mbappe converted from the penalty spot after Rayo defender Florian Lejeune fouled Alvaro Carreras inside the box. Mbappe sent goalkeeper Emil Audero the wrong way to give the hosts an early lead and register his sixth goal of the domestic season.

The second goal followed just three minutes later. Lejeune gave the ball away under pressure from Vinicius Junior, and Carreras combined with Mbappe before finding the back of the net himself, doubling Real Madrid's advantage inside the opening 20 minutes.

Real Madrid's wide players continued to cause problems for Rayo's........

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