Real Madrid vs Sevilla: Mbappé and Güler Strike Before Half-Time in Control

Real Madrid against Sevilla was billed as a meeting of two sides in the top six, and the gap between them was visible in the standings afterwards: Madrid third on 21 points, Sevilla sixth on 14. What decided the game was a seven-minute spell in the first half and a refusal to let Sevilla back into it once they found a consolation goal.

Both teams lined up in a 4-2-3-1, which meant the contest was settled in the individual duels rather than in a clash of systems. Madrid's front four were the problem Sevilla could not solve. Arda Güler opened the scoring on 30 minutes, and Kylian Mbappé doubled the lead on 37. Two goals in seven minutes, both before the interval, gave Madrid a cushion that let them manage the second half on their own terms. The numbers fit the story: Madrid had 65% of the ball, 15 shots to 11 and an expected goals tally of 2.32 against 0.81, so the 4-1 scoreline was earned rather than flattered.

Sevilla's discipline did not help their cause. They committed 14 fouls to Madrid's 10, and Felix Correia was booked as early as the 23rd minute, the same moment Dean Huijsen went into the book for Madrid. Juan Antonio Iglesias Sánchez followed him into the book on 69 minutes, six minutes after Mbappé had converted from the penalty spot on 63 to make it 3-0. That spot kick was the moment that closed the contest. At 3-0 with under half an hour left, Sevilla needed a route back, and instead they were chasing the ball against a side happy to hold it.

They did find one. Manuel Bueno Sebastián pulled a goal back on 80 minutes, and for two minutes there was a flicker of tension. Madrid ended it almost immediately. Yan Diomande scored on 82, a response that came before Sevilla could build any momentum, and the 9.0 rating he earned was the highest on the pitch. Güler's 8.2 reflected the other half of the attacking work, while Bueno's 6.8 and Christantus Ejuke's 6.7 were the best Sevilla could muster.

The detail worth noting is how Madrid used the lead. With three goals in hand, they did not need to chase more, yet they kept their shape well enough to restore the margin within two minutes of conceding. Marc Cucurella picked up a booking on 73 minutes, a minor blemish in an otherwise controlled finish. Sevilla remain well placed in sixth, but this was a reminder of the distance between them and the sides above. Madrid, with a game in hand over no one but with the points to match their performance, look every bit like a team in the title conversation.