Kylian Mbappe's reckless challenge that saw him sent off in the first-half of Real Madrid’s league clash against Alaves was a result of a series of small fouls committed against him, according to Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti.

Eduardo Camavinga gave Madrid the lead 34 minutes in at Mendizorroza with a brilliant strike from outside the box, but Madrid's joy was quickly eclipsed when they were reduced to 10 men four minutes later.

Mbappe was initially booked for the high tackle on Alaves midfielder and former Madrid academy product Antonio Blanco.

However, the referee overturned that decision and awarded a straight red for the frustrated tackle following a VAR review.

Mbappe is the second Madrid forward to receive a red card in the first half of a LaLiga match in the 21st century, after Ruud van Nistelrooy vs Atletico Madrid in 2008.

While Madrid played the majority of the game with 10 men, the player count was levelled in the 70th minute when Manu Sanchez was sent off for a similar challenge on Vincius Junior.

Davide Ancelotti, the assistant manager and son of Carlo Ancelotti, was in charge of the team on Sunday on account of his father's suspension after he received a fifth yellow card in Madrid's loss to Valencia last weekend.

He provided his explanation in the post-match press conference, stating that: "Kylian is certainly not a violent guy, he is a guy who has apologised and is aware of the mistake he has made.

"Surely it was a clear red card, and he has paid the consequences.

"I think that the many small fouls that were committed against him have made him react in this way, which is the wrong way to react. I'm not justifying it, but I think that's why it happened."

 Davide Ancelotti: “This victory gives us confidence for Wednesday.”
 Press conference  RM Play

— Real Madrid C.F.  (@realmadriden) April 13, 2025

Madrid, who on Wednesday host Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg after an embarrassing 3-0 defeat in the first leg, went into Sunday's game needing a strong response.

Camavinga's goal – his first in LaLiga since March 2022 – provided just that, but the visitors still struggled against relegation-threatened Alaves, who created some good chances and fashioned six shots on target from their 13 attempts. Madrid, by contrast, had just 11 efforts, with four on target.

The hosts saw more of the ball in the second half (56.5%) as a disciplined Madrid defence fought tooth and nail to keep their narrow advantage safe.

"The victory gives us confidence," Davide Ancelotti added.

"We knew it wouldn't be easy. What happened in the game made it a little more complicated for us, but winning gives us confidence for what we want to happen on Wednesday."

Carlo Ancelotti will return for Wednesday's second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the defending European champions have a big three-goal margin to overturn against Arsenal if they are to progress to the semi-finals for the fourth straight season.