'Incredible' Mbappe hits three in Real Sociedad rout

Top trio shines

Valverde said that Madrid tweaked its approach to pressing in the second half, and it paid dividends.

"We were finding it hard to get the ball back in their half. We adjusted that, and, in the second half, we were a lot more comfortable," explained the Uruguayan midfielder.

Arda Guler played in Mbappe, whom Remiro denied early in the second half, but he could do nothing about the former Paris Saint-Germain star's next effort.

A neat move involving Valverde and then Bellingham led to the latter playing in Mbappe, who calmly stroked home.

Madrid's third came from Vinicius, who had been quiet up to then, and he had the tenacity of Bellingham to thank.

The England midfielder's shot was blocked, but he refused to give up, winning the ball back in Real Sociedad's area and putting it on a plate for Vinicius to tap home.

The Brazilian, brought to life by his goal, set up Mbappe with a perfectly weighted pass for the striker's third, a dink over Remiro, which was the pick of the goals.

Vinicius, substituted with seven minutes to go for record Madrid signing Yan Diomande, embraced Mourinho after being brought off with the job done.

Madrid's previous campaign began to turn for the worse when Vinicius showed his anger after being replaced by Xabi Alonso during Madrid's Clasico win over Barcelona in October, but the forward, who recently extended his club deal until 2032, was all smiles.

"I liked everything, and you might tell me the second half was good and the first half wasn't, but I liked the team even when it wasn't good," said a satisfied Mourinho.

"I'm really happy that the players ended up content, winning at home, smiling, and tomorrow — training — because on Sunday comes Malaga."