MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid bounced back from its first defeat in nearly 10 months by beating Villarreal 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday, perhaps at the expense of injured right-back Dani Carvajal.

Federico Valverde and Vinícius Júnior scored for the defending champions four days after their 1-0 Champions League defeat at Lille, ending a 36-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Madrid remain unbeaten in 41 consecutive Spanish league games. The victory over third-placed Villarreal gave Madrid the same 21 points as Barcelona, ​​​​which visit Alaves on Sunday.

Carvajal was injured in second-half injury time at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, suffering pain after kicking an opponent in the leg. He appeared to make a gesture indicating that something in his leg was broken. The Spain international cried as he was carried off the field on a stretcher.

“It looks like it is a very serious knee injury,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. “Everyone is sad and worried. This happens a lot because of the calendar and it happened to a very important player in our squad.”

Ancelotti said Carvajal would undergo tests. Madrid’s reserve right-back is Lucas Vázquez.

“Carvajal is a key player for us because of his experience and his attitude,” Ancelotti said of the 32-year-old defender, who started out in Madrid’s youth teams and joined the main team in 2013/14.

Villarreal, coming off two straight wins, had just one attempt on target. Madrid had two goals and scored both goals.

Valverde scored in the 14th minute with a long-range shot that deflected off a defender. Vinícius hit the top corner from outside the penalty area in the 72nd minute.

Aspas was sent off for protesting

Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas was sent off in the 1-0 win at bottom-placed Las Palmas after receiving consecutive yellow cards for protesting.

He complained about the referee’s decision to show his teammate Ilaix Moriba a red card and received his first yellow card in the 54th minute. Aspas’ second goal came in the 56th minute. The striker was seen briefly asking his teammates to leave the field after he was sent off.

Celta held on despite playing with two men less until the end of the game. Borja Iglesia scored the winning goal in the visitors’ only attempt on goal in the 28th minute.

The result ended a three-game winning streak for Celta.

Las Palmas, the only team to win in the league, have not won 23 league games in a row since last season when they narrowly avoided relegation.

Other results

Jorge de Frutos scored twice in the second half for Rayo Vallecano to win 2-1 at Valladolid, while Espanyol beat Mallorca 2-1 at home and Osasuna drew 1-1 at Getafe.

___

AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer