Mbappé and Bellingham inspire Real to 3-0 thrashing of Leganés

Kylian Mbappé ended his goal drought with a thunderous strike and midfielder Jude Bellingham scored a header as Real Madrid thrashed Leganés 3-0 on Sunday.

Leganes' solid defence kept Madrid at bay in the first half, but the visitors took the lead three minutes before the break when Vinicius Junior combined with Mbappé, who netted his seventh league goal this season.

Madrid enjoyed most of the possession in the second half and Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored from a free kick after Bellingham had been fouled at the 66th minute.

The England international secured the victory with a header five minutes from time.

With a game in hand, Madrid are second in the standings on 30 points, four behind Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.

The France international has struggled to find his feet in his first season with the LaLiga champions, having gone four games without scoring in all competitions, his last goal coming in a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo last month.

However, the former Paris Saint-Germain striker netted after combining again with Vinícius to give Real the lead two minutes before the break following a Leganes defensive error that Bellingham capitalised on.

"We switched the position of the strikers a bit, with Mbappe on the outside and he did well, as did Vinicius on the inside. The team controlled the game very well," said coach Carlo Ancelotti after the match.

Madrid enjoyed most of the possession in the second half, giving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, back in the squad after a muscle injury, little to do.

Madrid visit Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday before hosting Getafe in the Spanish top flight four days later.

Leganés are 14th in the standings and next face Alaves on Saturday.