Mbappe 8.0, Guler 8.0 | Elche 2-3 Real Madrid: Player ratings

Mbappe 8.0, Guler 8.0 | Elche 2-3 Real Madrid: Player ratings Real Madrid defeated Elche on Tuesday in a five-goal thriller at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, with goals from Matias Dituro (OG), Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi. Jose Mourinho’s side had raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half, but after throwing that away in the second, they had to rely on a stoppage time winner. Player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 6/10 Aside from picking the ball out of his net on two occasions, Courtois really did not have much to do in this one. Trent-Alexander Arnold – 7/10 Trent was given a rare opportunity from the start against Elche, and he did his chances of securing a regular starting spot no harm. Created a couple of chances for his teammates, but it was in defence where he was particularly impressive – although Elche’s first goal did come down his side. Ibrahima Konate – 6/10 Konate’s been good since joining in the summer, but this was an off-night. He was nowhere near as solid as was required, and that helped Elche gain the edge over Real Madrid in the second half. He will surely be at risk of losing his starting spot for this weekend’s Madrid derby. Dean Huijsen – 6.5/10 Huijsen was marginally better than his centre-back partner, but he had a couple of disappointing moments himself. He really should have headed Real Madrid into an early lead in the opening 10 minutes, while he lost track of Abiel Osorio for Elche’s first goal. Marc Cucurella – 6/10 Cucurella had generally been pretty solid for the opening 80 minutes, but he carelessly gave the ball away to Elche in the lead-up to the equalising goal. Federico Valverde – 6.5/10 Combative performance from Real Madrid captain, who helped set up Mbappe’s goal in the first half. However, it’s another occasion where he’s been unable to stop the opposition from dominating after the interval, as was the case when he was on the pitch against Inter Milan last week. Aurelien Tchouameni – 6.5/10 First start of the season for Tchouameni, and he can be happy with his contribution. However, he was also unable to help Real Madrid regain control of the ball in the second half, which is a big concern for Mourinho. Yan Diomande – 7.5/10 After a slow start to his Real Madrid career, Diomande has started to pick up. He got the assist for Mbappe’s goal, but it was his defensive work that was particularly impressive here – and that would have pleased his manager. Arda Guler – 8/10 Guler was outstanding, and it was telling that Real Madrid had a major drop-off when he was substituted. He may not get the credit for the opening goal, but it was an excellently-placed free-kick, while his overall play was also very strong. He’s surely set to start against Atletico Madrid, but who does he replace? Vinicius Junior – 6/10 Nothing is going right for Vinicius at the moment. He had chances to find the back of the net in this one, but his finishing and composure were poor. It’s telling that he was taken off in the 68th minute, and it would be no surprise if he didn’t start in the Madrid derby. Kylian Mbappe – 8/10 Mbappe was the difference-maker for Real Madrid, as he so often is. Netted their second with a brave finish in the first half, before slipping in Espi to score the winner in stoppage time. He’s not always at his best, but he is incredibly decisive. Jude Bellingham – 6.5/10 Bellingham struggled to get into the game upon being substituted on, but the winning goal was all sown to his brilliance – he skipped away from multiple challenges before playing in Mbappe, who squared for Espi to score. Brahim Diaz – 6/10 Failed to make an impact in his cameo, and he was even pushed back to right-back when Espi and Endrick were brought on. Endrick – 6/10 First appearance for the season for Endrick, but he only touched the ball twice. Carlos Espi – 7/10 As was the case against Espanyol on the opening matchday, Espi was Real Madrid’s hero. He was heavily involved from the moment he came on, and it culminated in him notching the winning goal in the 91st minute. Denzel Dumfries – 6/10 Brought on in the aftermath of Espi’s winner.