Full player ratings below:

Full player ratings below:

Thibaut Courtois – 7: Early defense of a pass from Nico Williams across goal that prevented Inaki Williams from intervening.

Lucas Vazquez – 4.5: Often the only option is the right wing, with Fede Valverde protecting centrally. Jude and Valverde needed him several times to represent him in the transition. Since he was the only option on the right, Madrid’s play was limited to possession.

Raul Asencio – 5.5: Slight fear at the start of the game about holding on to the ball in the defensive third for too long and being dispossessed. Aside from this early blemish, he timed his passes well and once again demonstrated his recovery speed and aggressive tackling. He probably could have done better with the first goal by letting the ball go past him instead of clearing it.

Antonio Rüdiger—8: Due to Madrid’s poor possession, Rüdiger and the defense often found themselves in transition situations and retreated into a 3-on-4 situation. The German carried out several important attacks and scored seven saves in the first half alone.

Fran Garcia – 4.5: Ferland Mendy won a big game. Defended well in 1v1 situations but had little possession due to some loose passes. Stays on the ball unpredictably and his teammates are never quite sure what decision he will make.

Tchouameni—3: Ancelotti hinted that the Frenchman would be in the starting XI as his height was important for set-piece situations. It felt like the player was being pushed into the lineup and disrupted the team’s good dynamic. Ancelotti had Tchouameni press high, but Athletic played easily through the team’s press.

Dani Ceballos – 6.5: He was rewarded for his current form with another start in midfield. Was one of the few players willing to take the ball and retain possession in difficult situations. A surprising early substitution.

Fede Valverde – 3: With Tchouameni back in the lineup and Ceballos in the middle, Valverde was forced back into his right midfield position. He made a glaring mistake in the final minutes of the game when he tried to tackle an Athletic player in his own half, which led to the winning goal for Atheltic Bilbao.

Jude Bellingham – 7: Forced to do a little bit of everything: cover for Fran Garcia and Tchouameni (even Lucas Vazquez at one point), be the midfielder in the deepest build-up play, be the linking attacking midfielder, and play both a central and left midfield role. Ancelotti is asking too much of the English team and had to maintain his role from the last few games. He found the net in his fourth consecutive La Liga game but will be disappointed that the team were unable to secure a draw.

Rodrygo – 6: The They were stuck between midfield and attack but didn’t get enough possession as Madrid sat in a deep block and defended for most of the game. He delivered the free kick that resulted in a penalty after Rüdiger’s collision with the Athletic goalkeeper.

Kylian Mbappe – 2: Scored a goal for offside in the first half but largely played no role outside of that moment as Madrid sat deep. He missed another penalty and seems completely lacking in confidence.

Substitutions:

Brahim Diaz – 6: One of the first substitution attempts to improve the team’s rhythm and get back into the game. Had a few incisive through balls to Mbappé, but never converted a chance to score.

Ferland Mendy—5: Replaced Fran Garcia in the second half but offered little in the final third.

Luka Modric—4: Excel at multiple long-distance passes and set pieces.

Arda Guler – N/A: Played the final three minutes when Ancelotti threw him and Endrick for a final roll of the dice.

Endrick – N/A: Late substitution by Arda, with 3 minutes to try and change the game.