Mbappé and Haaland steer wins as Madrid, Man City keep title hopes alive

Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland delivered crucial moments as Real Madrid and Manchester City strengthened their title bids this weekend.

In Spain, Madrid defeated Valencia 2-0 , their seventh consecutive league win. Álvaro Carreras opened the scoring in the 65th minute, and Mbappé sealed the victory in stoppage time, marking his ninth goal in six games . Madrid overcame the absence of Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham to control the game comfortably. Valencia, struggling in 17th place, faced boos from their fans. Real Betis also bounced back from a heavy Copa del Rey defeat, beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 with a goal from Antony , while Sevilla and Girona drew 1-1, with Girona’s Cristhian Stuani missing a late penalty.

In England, Manchester City staged a dramatic comeback to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. Dominik Szoboszlai had given Liverpool the lead with a stunning free kick, but Bernardo Silva equalized, setting the stage for Haaland’s 93rd-minute penalty after Matheus Nunes was fouled by Alisson . City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a key save, while a VAR review ruled out a late Rayan Cherki goal. The win cuts City’s gap to Arsenal to six points and marks the first league double over Liverpool since 1936-37. Guardiola called the victory “special,” highlighting Anfield’s difficulty.

Liverpool’s challenging season continues, now sitting sixth, four points behind fifth-place Chelsea and fighting for a Champions League spot. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace ended a 12-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over Brighton . Ismaila Sarr scored the winner, moving Palace nine points clear of the relegation zone, with record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen calling it “an unbelievable atmosphere… worth it.”