Alvaro Arbeloa’s side kept the pressure on arch-rivals Barcelona with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at a hostile Mestalla on Sunday. Despite missing the suspended Vinicius Junior and injured Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos did just enough to claim three points on Spain’s east coast.
The first half was a gritty encounter where Madrid lacked sparkle but created the better chances. Valencia stopper Stole Dimitrievski was in inspired form, saving well with his legs from a fierce Kylian Mbappe drive and denying youth academy graduate David Jimenez.
The deadlock was finally broken midway through the second half when Carreras conjured a goal out of nothing. Drifting inside from the left, the defender used his weaker right foot to stroke the ball inside the near post, stunning the home crowd.
Arbeloa used the closing stages to reintroduce Trent Alexander-Arnold for his first appearance since early December following a thigh injury. The points were eventually secured in stoppage time as Mbappe finished calmly for his 23rd league goal of the season, leaving Valencia languishing just one point above the drop zone.
