Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Villarreal in a La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, but the joy of claiming three points was overshadowed by Vinícius Junior's red card following a VAR review.
Winger Yan Diomande decided the contest with a goal in the 62nd minute, helping Madrid secure an important victory in the race for the La Liga title.
However, the hosts were forced to battle through the final 20 minutes or so with 10 men after Vinícius was sent off for pulling Villarreal player Nathan Saliba's hair.
The result allowed Real Madrid to continue chasing Barcelona at the top of the standings, while the incident involving Vinícius raised questions about the player's discipline and the possibility of him missing the next El Clásico.
Real Madrid started the match looking for an early goal, with Kylian Mbappé posing a major threat in attack. In the seventh minute, Mbappé struck the crossbar after receiving a pass from Álvaro Carreras.
The French forward continued to trouble Villarreal's defence, but goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi made several important saves. Villarreal were also well organised, limiting Madrid's opportunities to create clear-cut attacks.
Despite enjoying spells of dominance, the hosts were unable to find the net in the first half.
After the break, José Mourinho introduced Vinícius Junior in the 52nd minute, hoping to add pace and penetration to Madrid's attack.
The substitution was followed by a spell of increased attacking pressure from Madrid. Villarreal also threatened through Pape Gueye, but Thibaut Courtois did well to keep his attempts out.
In the 62nd minute, Federico Valverde delivered an excellent pass that put Yan Diomande in a scoring position. The winger made no mistake, driving a low shot into the net to give Madrid a 1-0 lead.
The goal was a significant moment for Diomande, who scored his first goal as a Real Madrid player. The assistant referee had initially flagged for offside, but VAR confirmed that the goal was valid.
Vinícius scores, but VAR overturns the goal and issues a red card
The incident that sparked major debate occurred after Madrid appeared to have added a second goal.
Vinícius thought he had scored after Jude Bellingham launched a quick attack and played the ball into a dangerous area. The Brazilian finished the move, but his celebrations were short-lived.
VAR instructed referee Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos to review an incident that had occurred before the goal. The footage showed Vinícius pulling Nathan Saliba's hair as the Villarreal player ran alongside him.
After reviewing the footage, the referee disallowed Vinícius' goal and showed him a straight red card. The decision left Madrid with 10 players during a crucial stage of the match.
Vinícius showed his frustration as he left the pitch, while his teammates tried to calm him down.
Courtois rescues Madrid in the closing stages
Following the red card, Villarreal saw an opportunity to exploit their numerical advantage and increase their attacking pressure.
Madrid were forced to focus more heavily on defending while looking for opportunities to counterattack. Courtois made crucial saves, including one to deny an attempt from Carlos Romero in the 77th minute.
Mbappé also had another opportunity, but Gulácsi saved his shot. As the minutes ticked away, Villarreal increased the pressure, but Madrid maintained their defensive discipline and prevented an equaliser.
