Carlo Ancelotti slams referee after shock Real Madrid defeat | OneFootball

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was left furious after referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz failed to send off Espanyol's eventual match-winner Carlos Romero for a cynical foul on Kylian Mbappe.

Madrid were heavy favourites to beat relegation-threatened Espanyol having scored 20 goals in their last five matches across all competitions.

But despite raining down 21 shots on Espanyol's goal, including seven on target, and enjoying 76% of possession, Madrid slipped to a 1-0 defeat thanks to Romero's goal five minutes from time, handing rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona a lifeline in La Liga's title race.

Ancelotti, whose side completed 725 passes compared to the hosts' 187, could not believe that Romero was even on the pitch after an "inexplicable" tackle from behind on Mbappe prevented the Frenchman from bursting away on the counter attack.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the five-time Champions League-winning coach vented: "The decision the referee and the VAR took is inexplicable.

Kylian Mbappe was intentionally felled by Carlos Romero - but he only received a yellow card / Alex Caparros/GettyImages

"Everyone saw it. The most important thing is to protect the player. It's a clear foul, a very ugly challenge. Fortunately nothing happened in terms of an injury, but the VAR is there for that. It's inexplicable to us that he didn't show a red card."

Ancelotti was also left to rue Madrid's profligacy in front of goal, reflecting of the defeat: "The game was difficult. We did some things well. We had control, above all in the second half, and we had chances. We had a goal ruled out, we hit the woodwork. We had 20 shots on goal. Espanyol played well in transitions, defended well, they caught us out of shape and they scored."

Romero, who stroked home the winner with a controlled volley five minutes from time, even admitted that he'd apologised to Mbappe for the tackle, telling DAZN: "I knew that it's impossible to stop [Mbappe] on the run. I did what I could to stop him. The challenge was a bit ugly, I didn't like that, and I said sorry to him."

Madrid's attention will soon turn back to Champions League action, with their recent league phase victories over RB Salzburg and Brest leading to a mouth-watering knockout round two-legged play-off with 2023 winners Manchester City.