Real Madrid hit four past Malaga to stay top of La Liga

Real Madrid underlined their early-season authority in La Liga with a 4-0 victory over Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu, extending a perfect start that has already seen them beat Espanyol Barcelona and Real Sociedad.

Fast start rewarded before the break

Jose Mourinho's side set the tone from the opening whistle and spent much of the first half pushing Malaga back towards their own penalty area. Trent Alexander-Arnold was among the most active players in white, repeatedly looking to create danger from wide areas, even if his early deliveries did not immediately produce a breakthrough.

Malaga, newly promoted and managed by Juan Funes, briefly threatened through Joaquin Munoz after surviving the opening stages. But the resistance did not last. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 19th minute after driving past several opponents and finishing calmly inside the box.

Real quickly built on that advantage. The second goal arrived seven minutes later in unfortunate fashion for the visitors, with Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero credited with an own goal after sustained pressure from the home side. Four minutes after that, Alexander-Arnold got the assist his display deserved, picking out Kylian Mbappe for Real's third.

Even with a three-goal lead, Madrid did not have everything their own way before half-time. Malaga came close to pulling one back when Rafa Rodriguez struck the post.

Control after the interval

The pattern remained familiar after the restart, with Real controlling possession and looking for a fourth. Bellingham nearly added another with a fierce effort in the 55th minute, only to see the ball come back off the post. Alexander-Arnold also continued to test Herrero, while Malaga tried to respond through substitute Juan Cruz, who produced a promising strike from outside the area.

There was a lull as the second half wore on, despite Mourinho introducing Yan Diomande and Bernardo Silva. Malaga thought they had been handed a route back into the contest late on when a penalty was initially awarded, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review. The incident involved Antonio Rudiger and Diomande, with the handball call ultimately judged not to meet the threshold for a spot-kick.

Guler adds the finishing touch

Real still had time to add further gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time. A well-worked counterattack ended with Vinicius Junior supplying Arda Guler, who applied the finish into an empty net to complete the 4-0 result.

The win strengthens Real Madrid's position at the top of La Liga and continues an impressive opening to the 2026/27 campaign. Against a Malaga side that had already faced difficult early fixtures, Madrid's attacking quality proved decisive, with Bellingham, Mbappe and Guler all making their mark and Alexander-Arnold standing out for his influence in the final third.

• Real Madrid beat Malaga 4-0 in La Liga
• Jude Bellingham scored the opening goal
• Kylian Mbappe scored after an assist from Trent Alexander-Arnold
• Arda Guler added the fourth in stoppage time