Real Madrid survived a dramatic fightback to beat Elche 3-2 on Tuesday night, while Rayo Vallecano defeated Espanyol 2-1 and Valencia edged Alavés 1-0 in La Liga.
England also provided Carabao Cup drama, with Arsenal beating Ipswich Town 4-2 and Liverpool defeating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1.
Real Madrid looked in control at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero after taking a 2-0 lead before halftime.
Arda Güler’s free-kick struck the woodwork before rebounding into Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro and ending in the net in the 25th minute.
Eight minutes later, Kylian Mbappé doubled Madrid’s advantage after finishing from Yan Diomande’s cross.
The visitors appeared to be heading for a comfortable victory.
Elche responded strongly after the break. Abiel Osorio pulled one back in the 71st minute before Fer Niño equalised 12 minutes later, turning the match into a tense contest.
Just when Elche appeared to have secured a point, substitute Carlos Espí struck in the 91st minute to restore Madrid’s lead.
The late goal secured a 3-2 victory and kept Madrid level with Barcelona on 15 points at the top of La Liga.
Rayo Vallecano also made a fast start against Espanyol, scoring after only three minutes.
Álvaro García finished an attack involving Pedro Díaz to give the hosts an early advantage.Rayo doubled their lead in the 26th minute through Adrià Pedrosa.
García provided the assist as Rayo went into halftime with a 2-0 advantage.
Espanyol returned with greater attacking intent and reduced the deficit in the 54th minute. Roberto Fernández finished after being set up by Javi Hernández.
The visitors pushed for an equaliser during the final stages, but Rayo defended their advantage to secure a 2-1 victory and three points.
Valencia claimed a narrow 1-0 win away to Alavés in another closely contested match. Neither side could find the breakthrough during the opening half.
Valencia appeared to have taken the lead when Arnaut Danjuma scored, but the effort was ruled out. The score remained 0-0 at halftime.
The decisive moment came in the 78th minute when Javi Guerra created the opening for Luis Rioja, who finished to put Valencia ahead.Alavés pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Valencia held on to secure the away victory.
In England, Arsenal advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after beating Ipswich Town 4-2 at Portman Road.
The major talking point was 16-year-old Max Dowman, who scored twice on his first appearance of the season.
Dowman opened the scoring after just seven minutes before Noni Madueke doubled Arsenal’s advantage nine minutes later.
Mikel Merino then made it 3-0 shortly after halftime, leaving Ipswich with a difficult task.
Dowman struck again in the 47th minute to put Arsenal four goals ahead.
Ipswich responded through Anis Mehmeti in the 62nd minute before Chuba Akpom added another in stoppage time, but the comeback never materialised.
At Anfield, Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Alexis Mac Allister gave Liverpool the lead in the 21st minute before Cody Gakpo doubled the advantage nine minutes after halftime.
Tottenham pulled one back in the 69th minute when Conor Gallagher headed home after Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili failed to deal with a corner.
The goal gave Spurs hope of forcing their way back into the contest.
Liverpool, however, settled the tie in added time. Dominik Szoboszlai produced a long-range strike in the 91st minute to make it 3-1 and send Liverpool through to the next round.
The other English League Cup matches saw Fulham beat West Ham United 3-2, Brentford defeat Reading 2-1 and Peterborough United eliminate Barnsley 7-6 on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
The night’s football therefore produced a mixture of late drama, young talent and cup progression.
Madrid’s stoppage-time winner, Arsenal teenager Dowman’s two-goal display and Liverpool’s late strike were among the defining moments of Tuesday’s action.
