Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti commends Kylian Mbappe following his two goals that secured the victory.

Kylian Mbappe is “making a difference” at Real Madrid, according to manager Carlo Ancelotti, following his impressive brace in a La Liga victory over Leganes.

The French forward opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half, but Leganes rallied to take a surprising 2-1 lead at the interval. However, Jude Bellingham equalised shortly after the break, before Mbappe struck again with a superbly executed free-kick just outside the box, securing all three points for Los Blancos.

Ancelotti was quick to praise Mbappe’s influence on the team, as the forward increased his tally to 22 league goals for the season. “He’s doing very well, much more active, present in the game. He’s making a difference, that’s what we want from him,” the Real Madrid boss stated.

Reflecting on the free-kick goal, Ancelotti added, “He tried it yesterday, it went really well, and he wanted to try it again today. We’ve given him our trust.”

Despite the victory, Real Madrid faced a scare from the struggling Leganes, who currently sit 18th in La Liga and are embroiled in a relegation battle. Ancelotti acknowledged that his side’s performance was not up to their usual standards. “I can’t remember a game in which we haven’t suffered,” he admitted. “We have to do it, and the important thing is that it’s together. Football games are like that. There are no easy matches. But suffering isn’t a problem.”

He continued, “We didn’t play a bad game. We had control, but we lacked balance and that’s why we conceded two goals. Given what we did in the first half, we didn’t deserve them, but they caught us out on two counter-attacks and, without balance, they scored.”

Ancelotti pointed out that the team needed to manage their lead better after the penalty, stating, “What was missing today was balance in the first half. The team wasn’t well positioned, and that’s why we conceded two goals. But we were better in the second half.”

The win propelled Real Madrid to 63 points, level with La Liga leaders Barcelona, although the Blaugrana have a game in hand and a significantly better goal difference. Atletico Madrid trails six points behind in third place after being held to a 1-1 draw by Espanyol on Saturday.

However, Ancelotti remains optimistic about the title race, insisting that there are still three teams in contention. “Two or three.. I don’t know,” he said. “But I do think Atletico will fight until the end, because they’re very professional. And they’ll do it, just like we will.”

Real Madrid are still competing on three fronts, with a Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Sociedad on the horizon, followed by a return to the UEFA Champions League on April 8, where they will face Arsenal in the quarter-finals.