La Liga: Mbappe sees Red in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Alaves

Kylian Mbappe received his first red card in a Real Madrid shirt during a tense victory over Alaves, a result that trims the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to just four points.

The French star was initially shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Antonio Blanco, which saw him catch the Alaves midfielder high on the shin.

However, following a VAR review, referee Cesar Soto Grado reviewed the footage on the pitchside monitor and upgraded the caution to a straight red.

The incident came shortly after Eduardo Camavinga gave Real Madrid the lead with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box, setting the tone for a heated encounter at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Thibaut Courtois produced six saves to thwart Alaves, who were themselves reduced to 10 men when Manu Sanchez caught Vinicius Jr high on the leg in the 70th minute.

Vinicius and Jude Bellingham started on the bench, perhaps with a view to the 3-0 deficit they will look to overturn against Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti introduced his two stars as his side looked to kill off the hosts, but they mustered just one shot on target in the second half compared to Alaves’ five.

Victory keeps Los Blancos in touch with Barcelona, who beat strugglers Leganes 1-0 on Saturday.

Mbappe will miss Real’s home fixture against Athletic Bilbao next Sunday through suspension.

Real Madrid will travel to Barcelona on 11 May in a match that could determine the title race.