Real Madrid broke at speed, carving Villarreal open from one end of the pitch to the other. The move ended with Jude Bellingham setting up Vinicius Junior to make it 2-0 in the 71st minute, and it was so slick that even Jose Mourinho sprinted to the huddle by the corner flag to throw his arms around his super-sub.
Yet what had felt like a little fairy tale for the Brazilian, after his recent dip in form, just one goal this season and then a place on the bench in the first game after the international break, quickly turned into a nightmare for Vini Jr., Mourinho and Real.
As the Bernabeu and the players in white were still celebrating, on-field referee Isidro Diaz reviewed the goal and the build-up on the screen at the side of the pitch. He then produced a red card for Vinicius Junior.
Getty ImagesWhat did Vinicius Junior do to Nathan Saliba during the counter-attack?
In the race for the ball in midfield, after the Brazilian had played it left to Bellingham, he gained the decisive advantage in his duel with Villarreal's Nathan Saliba by yanking the Canadian back hard by his hair. Saliba lost his stride so badly that he could no longer follow Vini.
That left only one logical outcome: Real's goal was disallowed and the forward saw red for violent conduct or unsporting behaviour. He reacted furiously, first in disbelief and then in anger. Antonio Rüdiger, helped by Arda Güler, had to hold his team-mate back to stop him going too far towards referee Diaz. "I'm sorry for my team and the fans," Vinicius wrote afterwards on Instagram.
"I don't know what's going on with the referees, I don't understand this red card, but the most important thing is the win," said Aurelien Tchouameni. Mourinho even skipped the press conference in protest, apparently so as not to risk a suspension.
Even with 10 men, Real protected their lead to the end and did not let reigning champions Barcelona pull further away in the table. Barca beat Getafe without top scorer Raphinha thanks to goals from Anthony Gordon (2nd minute), Gabriel Jesus (30th) and Jules Kounde (73rd). With the maximum return of 24 points, Hansi Flick's team lead LaLiga by five points from Atletico Madrid (2-1 at D. Alaves) and six from Real Madrid.
Yan Diomande proved the matchwinner for Real and Mourinho. The new signing, formerly of Leipzig, scored his first goal for Los Blancos after Fede Valverde set him up in the 63rd minute. The 19-year-old Ivorian had taken Vinicius' place in Mourinho's starting line-up.