Federico Valverde's winner four minutes into stoppage time rescued Real Madrid as a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo prevented their faltering LaLiga title challenge suffering another setback.

Seeking to bounce back from consecutive defeats to Osasuna and Getafe which had seen them slip four points behind Barcelona, Madrid took the lead after only 11 minutes through Aurélien Tchouaméni.

But Borja Iglesias equalised 14 minutes later and Celta looked set to hold out for a point before Valverde's deflected effort at the death.

Madrid, still without the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham through injury, were after a boost ahead of their Champions League meeting with Manchester City on Wednesday but for so long looked like surrendering yet more ground in the title race.

Celta started brightly with Borja forcing a good low save from Thibaut Courtois.

At the other end Vinícius Júnior, set up by Trent Alexander-Arnold, fired a shot against a post before Madrid hit the front a minute later.

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Alexander-Arnold played a short corner from the right to Arda Güler, who cut a low pass back to the edge of the area for Tchouaméni to whip a first-time effort into the far corner off a post.

It was the France midfielder's first league goal since April 2024.

Madrid, though, were unable to build on that platform and were pegged back in the 25th minute, with Alexander-Arnold's defensive vulnerability exposed.

Williot Swedberg beat the former Liverpool man to a long ball down the left, then held him off very easily as he burst into the area before cutting back on to his right foot, looking up and laying a pass off for the onrushing Borja to stroke a finish home.

Swedberg should have made things worse for the visitors just before the break when he found himself unmarked in the area, but Courtois pulled off a fine save.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side slowly started to turn the screw in the second half, Vinícius bringing a save out of Ionuț Radu.

Celta survived a VAR review for a penalty in the 71st minute following a handball by Ferran Jutglà, with Madrid substitute César Palacios instead penalised for a foul beforehand.

Antonio Rüdiger fired high and wide, but Celta almost scored at the other end when Iago Aspas cut inside and fired a low show which beat Courtois but came back off a post.

Real looked out of ideas as the clock ticked into five minutes of added time, but Valverde, helped by a large slice of luck, got them out of trouble.

Picking up a loose ball on the edge of the area, he let fly, with the shot deflecting off Marcos Alonso and wrong-footing the helpless Radu.