Real Madrid player ratings vs Villarreal: Vinicius Jr for the Ballon d'Or! Brazilian's golazo secures win as Kylian Mbappe struggles to get involved

The Brazilian's outstanding play brought home three points for Los Blancos, but overall, their performance left much to be desired.

Vinicius Jr. delivered an important spark of brilliance in a generally underwhelming display from Real Madrid, helping the team to a modest 2-0 victory over Villarreal.

Carlo Ancelotti's team didn't dominate the match, but they took advantage of key moments. Federico Valverde and Vinicius were crucial in maintaining the pressure on Barcelona as they vie for the top spot in La Liga.

Despite a sluggish beginning, Los Blancos eventually gained the upper hand. Valverde delivered a brilliant moment with his long-range shot from 30 yards, which took a bit of a lucky deflection before finding its way into the bottom corner.

In the first half, there were a couple of key moments. Vinicius Jr set up Mbappe with a great opportunity to score, but the French striker missed the chance. However, in the second half, the Brazilian player found the back of the net, striking the ball into the top right corner from 25 yards out with 20 minutes left to play, creating some much-needed distance on the scoreboard.

Madrid took it easy during the match, feeling secure enough to make substitutions and play defensively, while Villarreal struggled to pose any real threat. However, there were a couple of worrying moments. Dani Carvajal was taken off during the last moments of the second half after what looked like a significant knee injury, and Vinicius was seen holding his shoulder when he was substituted.

Once more, the performance wasn't exactly impressive. However, what truly matters are the three points and moments of standout talent.

GOAL evaluates the performance of Real Madrid's players from the Santiago Bernabeu...