Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal could be set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.

Carvajal had to be taken off late on in Saturday's LaLiga meeting with Villarreal, which Madrid won 2-0 thanks to goals from Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior.

The 32-year-old and the club subsequently confirmed he will have to go under the knife.

"Serious cruciate ligament injury confirmed, I'll have to undergo surgery and be off the field for a few months," Carvajal said on Instagram.

"Looking forward to starting the recovery process and coming back like an animal. Thank you all for your messages, I feel very loved."

After the match, Carlo Ancelotti said: "It looks like a pretty serious knee injury, the dressing room is sad and worried.

"It's something that happens a lot of times because of the calendar and it's happened to a very important player for us.

"He is a fundamental player for us because of his experience.

"I've been talking to him and he's sad, but there's not much we can do. We are going to see the medical evaluation and think about him recovering. The doctor has told us that he has to do tests, but that it's a knee injury."

Asked how he may replace Carvajal in Madrid's starting XI, Ancelotti said: "We have Lucas Vazquez, but it's not the time to talk about this.

"We are going to wait and if the injury is serious we are going to manage the squad well and see who we put in this position. It will not be me."

Vinicius also suffered an injury against Villarreal, with Madrid confirming the Brazil star had a cervical issue.

The victory took Los Blancos level on points with Barcelona at the summit of LaLiga, ahead of the Blaugrana facing Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.

Real Madrid went level on points with rivals Barcelona at the LaLiga summit following their 2-0 triumph over high-flying Villarreal on Saturday.

The hosts opened the scoring in stunning fashion when Luka Modric's short corner was dummied by Jude Bellingham for Federico Valverde, with the Uruguayan taking aim from distance and finding the bottom corner with the aid of a deflection. 

But Villarreal, who had won back-to-back league games heading into the encounter at the Bernabeu, responded almost immediately when Nicolas Pepe's header rattled the crossbar before Thierno Barry nodded over. 

Los Blancos had further chances to increase their lead, but Antonio Rudiger sent an effort over the bar before Bellingham's long-range effort sailed wide of the post.

But the victory was sealed 17 minutes from time with another sensational strike, this time Vinicius Junior tried his luck from long-range and curled a superb strike beyond the grasp of Diego Conde after being found by Valverde. 

The result, however, was overshadowed by a nasty injury in second-half stoppage time to Dani Carvajal, with the Spaniard leaving the pitch on a stretcher and in tears after a collision with Yeremy Pino. 

Data Debrief: Wonder goals save Los Blancos

Madrid's two strikes against Villarreal both came from outside the box, as many as they had scored in their previous 39 goals in LaLiga. 

But Carlo Ancelotti's side were far from their very best at the Bernabeu. They managed to muster an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.47 compared to Villarreal's 0.62, with only two of Los Blancos' 11 shots on target. 

Valverde, however, impressed for Madrid, creating the joint-most chances alongside Modric (three), while also completing more accurate passes (77) than any other player on the pitch. 

Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful Real Madrid can bounce back from their shock Champions League loss to Lille, despite the short turnaround before Villarreal.

Madrid return to LaLiga action on the back of the 1-0 defeat to the French side, with Jonathan David's penalty enough to deny the holders a victory.

It also ended their 36-match unbeaten run in all competitions and was their first Champions League group-stage defeat since October 2022 against RB Leipzig.

Ancelotti's side have now failed to win their last two, having also conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid last weekend, but he is confident the team will be back to winning ways soon.

"[Villarreal] are doing really well. Saturday, it's an opportunity for us to reconnect, to get back to playing good football," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.

"[The mood] is fine, as always. [Wednesday's] defeat is an opportunity, if we take it and react well. We are self-critical. There are times when you have to reconnect and you need to do it quickly.

"Sometimes a good run makes you think you're invincible, but a defeat brings you back to reality. We are still not at our level, we have players who are not at their best.

"We are not far from where we want to be. There is a lack of defensive intensity and, offensively, a lack of ball circulation."

Coming off a remarkable 2023-24 season in which they won the LaLiga and Champions League double, Madrid are second in the Spanish top-flight standings on 18 points, three behind leaders Barcelona and one ahead of Villarreal.

Ancelotti expects to get Kylian Mbappe back into the starting team after the forward missed last weekend's derby against Atletico and came off the bench at Lille due to a hamstring injury, which led to France manager Didier Deschamps leaving his captain out of the squad for next week's Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium.

"He has had a problem that seems to have been solved. He has trained normally," Ancelotti said.

"I don't get involved in what national coaches do. Deschamps has decided not to call him. We need to get the ball to the strikers quicker and we lack defensive intensity."

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice to help Barcelona thrash Villarreal 5-1 on Sunday.

Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season when they went down to Monaco in the Champions League in midweek, but Hansi Flick's team bounced back in style in LaLiga.

They have now won their opening six league matches under Flick to start the season.

Lewandowski found the net twice inside 35 minutes before Villarreal pulled a quick one back through Ayoze Perez.

But Pablo Torre made it 3-1 after the break and Raphinha completed the rout for Barca with two goals late in the second half.

Barcelona did, however, lose goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen just before half-time after the German goalkeeper fell and was visibly in pain as he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

The Blaugrana remain top of the standings as they preserved a four-point lead over defending champions Real Madrid in second. 

Data Debrief: Ten in a row for free-scoring Barca

That is now 10 LaLiga wins on the spin for Barca over the course of this season and the end of last. That is their longest such winning streak since 2017, when Lionel Messi was still running the show.

Barca have now scored 23 goals in all competitions this season, a tally bettered only by Bayern Munich (29).

The Blaugrana's five goals on Sunday came from 4.08 xG, though Villarreal did have chances of their own, accumulating 2.11 xG, so Flick will want to see his team tighten up at the back.

Hansi Flick insists Barcelona will use "no excuses" when his injury-hit side head to Villarreal for Sunday's LaLiga clash.

Midfielder Fermin Lopez suffered a muscular problem in his right thigh while training on Tuesday, becoming the latest addition to Barca's growing list of injured absentees.

New signing Dani Olmo is sidelined for at least a month with a hamstring injury, alongside fellow midfielders Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, and defensive pair Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

Though struggling with limited selection options due to the fitness issues plaguing the visitors' squad, Flick is adamant the LaLiga leaders can adapt to find a workaround.

"When we started the season, I said there would be no excuses," Flick said. "We're going to be able to manage the game, although we'll be careful with some players carrying a lot of load.

"Tomorrow we'll manage this, although I'm sure that those who come on will be at 100%. The medical team is helping us and we are taking special care with [Pau] Cubarsi, who has been recovering."

Barcelona have made a perfect start to the LaLiga season under the German, with five straight wins putting them top of the standings, four points ahead of defending champions Real Madrid.

The only blemish on the Blaugrana's record came in Thursday's 2-1 defeat against Monaco, with Eric Garcia dismissed just 10 minutes into the Champions League opener.

"We have a great team, and we have shown it," Flick added. "Every season it's the same, there are weeks when you lose several players, but as a coach, it's something you have to accept.

"Now we have to focus on those who are available to prepare them for the next game."

Flick will at least be able to call upon returning forward Ansu Fati, who has scored four goals in six games against Villarreal in LaLiga, his most against one opponent in the competition.

Fati, along with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, will hope to cover the midfield void with their attacking prowess that has propelled Barcelona to success this term.

Indeed, Barcelona are the top-scoring team in Europe's top five leagues this season with 17 goals, a tally that they will aim to add to on Sunday.

Dani Parejo's 110th-minute goal sealed a 4-3 victory for Villarreal over Celta Vigo, snatching a late win on Monday.

Celta had come from behind to level the score with 10 minutes of normal time remaining and looked to be heading home with a point until late drama flipped the script.

The visitors actually took the lead in the 12th minute with Borja Iglesias breaking the deadlock after Alfon Gonzalez's effort was cleared off the line. 

Sergi Cardona levelled the score from close range, but Celta were soon back in front as Oscar Mingueza's long-range strike deflected in off the post.

Yerry Pino hit the woodwork on the stroke of half-time, but Villarreal turned things around in a four-minute period in the second half thanks to Thierno Barry and an own goal from Jailson.

Carl Starfelt got Celta back on level terms again 80 minutes in before Tasos Douvikas was denied a winner when he hit the frame of Diego Conde's goal.

Hugo Alvarez's late challenge in the box then gave the hosts an opportunity to win it from the spot. Parejo saw his penalty saved well by Ivan Villar, but the goalkeeper could only push it back into the midfielder, who made no mistake on the second attempt.

Data Debrief: Leaving it late

It was a game of football that would delight any neutral, with both teams throwing caution to the wind with an all-out attacking approach.

Villarreal had 24 shots, creating 3.64 expected goals, compared to Celta's 20 (2.74 xG), with both teams registering nine efforts on target each.

It is the first time that Villarreal have won a LaLiga home game despite conceding three goals for the first time since January 2008 (4-3 v Deportivo La Coruna).

Villarreal have signed Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Junior from Portuguese club Famalicao, the LaLiga side announced on Tuesday.

Junior, who kept eight clean sheets in 33 Liga Portugal appearances last season, has signed a six-year deal for a reported £10.2m transfer fee. 

The 23-year-old made 111 saves last year, a total only bettered by Boavista's Joao Goncalves (112) and Farense's Ricardo Velho (140). 

He conceded 39 times in the league, averaging a save percentage of 73.47%, the second highest of any goalkeeper to make over 30 appearances last year.

Junior made 140 appearances for Famalicao, keeping 42 clean sheets and conceding 178 goals across his four-year stint with the club. 

The Brazilian will replace Filip Jorgensen at Villarreal, who joined Chelsea last month in a £20.7m deal on a seven-year contract. 

Villarreal return to LaLiga action on Friday following their opening day draw with Atletico Madrid at the Estadio de la Ceramica, travelling to take on Sevilla. 

Atletico Madrid twice fought back from behind to earn a point in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Villarreal in their LaLiga season opener on Monday.

Forward Arnaut Danjuma gave the hosts an 18th-minute lead but Atletico hit back within two minutes as Marcos Llorente capped a lightning counterattack.

Diego Simeone's team fell behind for the second time when Jan Oblak failed to claim a deep cross in the 37th minute, with the ball deflecting off the back of captain Koke and into the net.

But forward Alexander Sorloth, making his Atletico debut following an outstanding 2023-24 season with Villarreal, came back to haunt the Yellow Submarine with a second equaliser.

Sorloth, who finished one goal shy of LaLiga's Golden Boot winner Artem Dovbyk last term, scored with a towering header six minutes into first-half stoppage time, with a quieter second half passing without further incident.

Data Debrief: Sorloth stands alone

Despite a trip to his former club representing a tricky first Atleti outing for Sorloth, he picked up where he left off in a brilliant 2023-24 campaign.

His goal was his 18th in LaLiga in 2024, more than any other player has scored in one of Europe's top five leagues, with Jonathan David and Harry Kane in joint-second with 15 apiece.

Atleti's attack will be further boosted when former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez gets up to speed. 

He was limited to a 17-minute substitute appearance on Monday, only completing two passes and committing two fouls in a quiet outing.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone believes new signing Julian Alvarez shares the club's DNA and will be an immediate hit in LaLiga.

Atletico completed a deal worth up to €95million (£81.5m) for Alvarez earlier this week, bringing an end to his trophy-laden two-year spell with Manchester City.

The Argentina international, who scored 19 goals across all competitions in his final campaign with City, could make his Atleti debut on Monday, when they begin their LaLiga campaign with a trip to Villarreal.

Despite Alvarez not having much time to train with his team-mates, Simeone believes he has adapted quickly and could make a flying start to his time at the Civitas Metropolitano. 

"Julian is a player we are all looking forward to seeing and who will help us to be better. It was all very sudden, so quick," Simeone said at Sunday's pre-match press conference. 

"He just arrived a little while ago, has been training for four days but has been adapting fast.

"But I see him with a lot of enthusiasm, knowing where he is coming from and understanding where he is heading towards. His characteristics fit the Atleti DNA."

Atletico have also completed deals for Spain's Euro 2024-winning defender Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth, who was one goal away from a share of LaLiga's Golden Boot last season.

However, Simeone has played down talk of Los Colchoneros rivalling Real Madrid – who completed a long-awaited move for Kylian Mbappe this off-season – and Barcelona for the title.

"Real Madrid start as the best team and will have to prove it with the wonderful players they have, while all the rest of us will be behind them," Simeone said.

"We haven't finalised the squad yet, we need to focus on tomorrow's game and see game by game how the team progresses.

"Barcelona continue to have a very good team, Real continue to grow with players who are phenomenal but it's clear that we have to think about ourselves." 

Midfielder Manu Trigueros has left Villarreal to join Spanish second-tier side Granada on a two-year contract, the club announced on Thursday.

The 32-year-old holds the record for the most appearances for Villarreal in LaLiga, having played 477 such matches for the club, making his debut back in 2012.

He scored 38 goals and registered 39 assists in his 12-year tenure with their first team, having previously represented Villarreal C and Villarreal B.

Trigueros won the Europa League with the Yellow Submarine in 2021 and also helped his side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2022.

"We thank Trigueros for his commitment, dedication and professionalism in a long and successful career," Villarreal said in a statement.

"We wish him the best of luck in his new professional stage. This will always be your home."

Chelsea have signed goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal for a reported £20.7million (€24.5m).

Jorgensen made 36 LaLiga appearances for Villarreal last season.

The 22-year-old made 143 saves, the most in Spain's top flight, keeping six clean sheets and conceding 63 goals in total, registering a save percentage of 69.42.

Those performances have persuaded the Blues to bring in the Dane to compete with Robert Sanchez and Djorde Petrovic, though there are reports the latter could be moved on.

"This move is a dream come true," said Jorgensen, who has penned a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

"I am very excited to have signed for Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world. I can’t wait to get to know everyone and to start playing with all my new team-mates."

Southampton have announced the signing of Ben Brereton Diaz from Villarreal for a reported fee of £7million. 

Brereton Diaz, who featured in all three of Chile's Copa America fixtures last month, has signed a four-year contract at St. Mary's. 

The 25-year-old ends a torrid spell with Villarreal, having failed to score in his first 20 appearances following his move from Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer last year.

Brereton Diaz spent the second half of last season on loan with Sheffield United, scoring six goals in his 14 Premier League outings. 

During his time at Bramall Lane, he accumulated the second-highest expected goals (xG) within the Blades' squad (6.07), a total only bettered by Oli McBurnie (6.89) who played in seven more games and scored the same number of goals. 

Southampton were on the hunt for attacking reinforcements following the departure of Che Adams to Torino last week, with the Scotland international leaving the club having scored 48 goals and adding 20 assists in 191 appearances for the Saints. 

“I’m absolutely buzzing. It’s been smooth these past couple of days, and I’m happy to get everything sorted and signed. I’m really excited to meet everyone, it’s great to be involved with this great club," Brereton Diaz said. 

“Watching the club when I was younger, it was always in the Premier League. Obviously last season, the way the team played, they went down but they bounced straight back up as a team.

"Also the gaffer as well – everything has aligned together, and I think it’s an amazing club. I can’t wait to get started.”

Brereton Diaz becomes Russell Martin's eighth arrival this transfer window following the signings of Adam Lallana, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Charlie Taylor, Ronnie Edwards, Nathan Wood, Yukinari Sugawara and Flynn Downes.

Manchester United have confirmed that defender Willy Kambwala has completed a move to Villarreal in a deal worth £9.9million. 

Kambwala, who joined United from French Ligue 2 club Sochaux in 2020, has signed a five-year deal with the La Liga side. 

United have a buy-back option for the next three years and a sizeable share of any sell-on fee.

Kambwala had 11 months left on his contract at Old Trafford but refused terms to sign a new one for the Red Devils. 

The 19-year-old made 10 Premier League appearances for the Erik ten Hag last season, with his debut coming in a 2-0 defeat to West Ham in December. 

United's decision reflects the club's policy of cashing in on academy graduates who are not going to be first-team regulars or are coming out of contract and could leave for nothing. 

Having confirmed the arrival of Joshua Zirkzee on Sunday, attention will now quickly turn to defensive reinforcements ahead of the 2024-25 season. 

The club confirmed that experienced defender Jonny Evans had signed a new one-year contract last week, but are looking to sign two new centre-backs. 

United have had two bids rejected by Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite, while they have also registered their interest in Matthijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro. 

Carlo Ancelotti was unbothered by Real Madrid's failed attempt to defend a three-goal lead against Villarreal, instead focusing on avoiding injuries and keeping their rhythm.

A double from Arda Guler, as well as goals from Joselu and Lucas Vazquez, had Madrid in control at 4-1 up away to Villarreal on Sunday.

Yet Alexander Sorloth, who pulled a goal back earlier on, managed three goals in eight minutes to salvage a 4-4 draw for the hosts against the LaLiga champions.

Despite faltering to a late comeback, Ancelotti was more than pleased with his side's efforts, ahead of the upcoming Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund on June 1 at Wembley Stadium.

"The target was not the points because we don't need them, the target was to play a good game with rhythm, intensity, avoiding injuries. Everything went perfectly," he told a post-match press conference.

"I'm not worried ahead of the Champions League final, this was an open game.

"Maybe we conceded more goals than necessary but that's okay, it doesn't change anything about what the final has to be. In attack, we played well."

Villarreal are set to finish eighth in the LaLiga table, unable to be caught by any team below and incapable of reaching seventh-placed Real Betis.

Sorloth may end with an individual award, though, after scoring his league-leading 23rd goal of the season with the fourth of his quartet of strikes.

"It was a match with a lot of goals, the kind that the fans like," Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno, who provided three assists, told Movistar. 

"I'll take the reaction in the second half. We will try to go to Europe next year.

"I hope Sorloth ends up top scorer. He's a fantastic teammate. He deserves it. We're going to try to help him. He's had an incredible season."

Villarreal forward Alexander Sorloth struck four times in 17 minutes to help his side fight back and snatch a 4-4 home draw against LaLiga champions Real Madrid on Sunday.

Madrid opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Turkey youngster Arda Guler slotted home a low strike off a Brahim Diaz pass before Joselu doubled the lead with a close-range header on the half-hour mark.

Sorloth pulled one back for Villarreal with a towering header in the 39th minute, but Lucas Vazquez restored Madrid's two-goal advantage a minute later, before Guler made it 4-1 in the final seconds of the first half.

But the hosts rallied after the break, with Sorloth scoring three goals in eight minutes, between the 48th and 56th minutes, as he reached 23 league goals this season to take LaLiga's Golden Boot award.

A second-half collapse will frustrate Carlo Ancelotti in the final league game of the season, with a Champions League final to come against Borussia Dortmund on June 1, but Madrid still achieved another record here.

Los Blancos surpassed the best unbeaten run in their entire LaLiga history after making it 31 games undefeated, eclipsing the previous record set between May 1988 and April 1989 with Leo Beenhakker as coach.

Data Debrief: Shot-heavy Sorloth delivers

Sorloth attempted nine shots in this game, the joint-highest total for a player in LaLiga this season, but those efforts paid dividends for his eye-catching four-goal haul.

He had played five games against Madrid and failed to score in all of them before this, against no other opponent has he played more games without scoring in the competition, but delivered emphatically here.