High on confidence after a fiery El Clásico victory extended their lead at the top of the LaLiga table, Real typically started on the front foot here, with an early sighter from Kylian Mbappé soon followed by fierce, tight-angled strikes from both Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.
Valencia’s resistance didn’t last too much longer, as after César Tárrega handled in the box, deflecting Éder Militão’s header from a corner, Mbappé made no mistake from the spot, opening the scoring with his 12th league strike of the campaign.
Presented with the 2024/25 European Golden Boot on Friday, Mbappé swiftly netted his 13th, tucking home Arda Güler’s cross with a side-foot volley after 31 minutes.
Now on a hat-trick, Mbappé selflessly allowed Vini Jr. to step up to the spot after the Brazilian was tripped by Thierry Correia, but following the fallout of his early substitution last weekend, the Real no.7 saw his spot-kick saved.
Fortunately for the home fans, a third goal arrived a minute later through Bellingham, who skipped past his marker and drilled beyond Julen Agirrezabala to put the game to bed before the half-time whistle.
Valencia were the last side to defeat Los Blancos in a league game at the Bernabéu, but after 45 minutes firmly spent on the back foot, a second-half turnaround looked improbable to say the least.
Carlos Corberán’s side were staring down an eighth away league fixture without a win, a streak that dated back to last season, and it took until the 63rd minute for André Almeida to produce their first shot on target as Thibaut Courtois tipped a fanciful effort over.
With attention turning to their UEFA Champions League clash with Liverpool in midweek, a low-key second half was well-managed by Real, who added a fourth with a bullet from Álvaro Carreras, rounding off the scoring with his first goal for the club.
A sixth straight win across all competitions keeps Xabi Alonso’s men moving in the right direction, opening up a seven-point gap at the LaLiga summit, at least temporarily.
As for Valencia, a loss might not be surprising, but it will hurt regardless, as they remain in the bottom three, having now played one more game than the four sides directly above them.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)