The excellent first half of Arda Guler earned Real Madrid a Nervy 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday, back within four points of Laliga-leaders Barcelona.
Blaugrana by Hansi Flick had recorded their own 1-0 win against Mallorca 24 hours earlier, which means that the men of Carlo Ancelotti needed these three precious points to keep their title hopes alive.
Guler's 20th minute effort from the edge of the box turned out to be sufficient after Ancelotti decided to let several important players rest prior to Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Barca.
Madrid still dominated a large part of the competition, but did not succeed in taking advantage of opportunities to expand their lead, with a target rules that Endrick denied.
The narrow lead set up a tense final and a 91st minute clambering saw Peter Federico and Juanmi not force the ball over the line.
Thibaut Courtois bravely intervened to keep Madrid in the title photo with five games to play.
Data Debrief: Almost let drama undone
The full -time expected goals figures weigh heavily in favor of Getafe, but that is mainly due to one manic incident in the first minute of the stop time.
More than half of Getafe's 2.32 XG was explained by the opportunities that fell to Peter and Juanmi, where Courtois shot the first away and then dive for the second.
The hosts brought five opta-defined 'great opportunities' over the entire game, but that was Madrid's narrowest escape in a match of fine margins.
Ancelotti's side really scrapes to stay within Barca's reach, with this their third consecutive 1-0 success.
3-Real Madrid has won three consecutive Leaga matches for the second time in the last 33 years with 1-0, after a three-game winning streak in July 2020. pic.twitter.com/dyo7tx9p85
– Optajose (@Optajose) April 23, 2025