In numbers: Mourinho restores Real Madrid's lost aura

Ideal resilience right to the end

The controversial incidents did not allow Real Madrid to fully enjoy their win over Villarreal, despite collecting three hard-earned points after suffering in the closing minutes against a side competing in the Champions League.

Thibaut Courtois kept a clean sheet for only the second time this season, a small addition the Spanish giants had missed in many of their fixtures since the campaign began. Malaga were the only other side they had shut out.

That defensive resilience eventually paid off, giving Jose Mourinho reason to be proud of his players' defensive display.

According to Spanish newspaper "AS", Inigo Perez's side managed to wrestle possession away from Real Madrid, with the match ending with a possession share of 54% for the Spanish giants against 46% for Villarreal.

But the yellow side's control of the ball did not translate into genuine danger. Their players could not get consistently close to Real Madrid's penalty area during their spells of possession.

Villarreal held the ball during the first quarter of the match, when their share approached 60%, but they were unable to play much in the final third of the Spanish giants' half, with the time the ball spent in that area not exceeding 20% of the first 15 minutes.

Mourinho's side kept their lines compact and closed the route to Courtois' goal. That is one of the ideas the Portuguese coach insists upon: defending from an advanced position on the pitch and not granting opponents space to move.

The final 15 minutes, during which Villarreal pushed forward in search of an equaliser while Real Madrid played with a man fewer, saw a clear statistical superiority for the yellow side, with their possession share reaching 74.3% and 40.3% of the time spent in the final third of the pitch.

During that period, and specifically after Vinicius was sent off in the 72nd minute, Villarreal fired off 6 of the 15 shots in total with which they tried to reach the Spanish giants' goal.

Courtois had to intervene to keep out shots from Carlos Romero and Georges Mikautadze, in the most difficult spells Real Madrid faced during the match.

Even so, the Spanish giants dealt well with the circumstances of the game, and even threatened their opponents with some counter-attacks.

Another statistic reflected the commitment of Real Madrid's players and their fighting spirit. They came out on top in the duels, winning 57.3% of the individual battles during the match, an indication of the physical strength and concentration they showed.

Dioumande, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Cucurella all stood out. Each of them won six duels.

The world champion's statistic was particularly striking, as he achieved that in just 45 minutes, having come on at the start of the second half in place of Carreras, and he recorded a higher success rate, winning 6 of the 7 duels he contested. The Spain international also won all five ground challenges he went into.

Mourinho said before the match: "We need time in order to improve. I have to look for improvements in the things that are under our control, and we are working on that."

Afterwards, the Portuguese coach declined to speak on the controversy stirred by the refereeing decisions, to avoid facing a punishment.

But away from the refereeing, from which he is seeking to keep his players distanced from the surrounding controversy so that they focus on the team's performance on the pitch, Mourinho has reasons to praise what his players produced. Real Madrid under Mourinho's leadership have proved they possess a defensive system capable of holding firm.