In red-hot form and with something still to play for – unlike their opponents – Sevilla started off the stronger, with Oso in particular causing problems for the Madrid defence.
The full-back’s second effort forced Thibaut Courtois into a fine save, but all of the hosts’ good work was undone on 15 minutes when Kylian Mbappé chested down a cross into the path of Vinícius Júnior, who swept a perfect finish past Odysseas Vlachodimos in the Sevilla goal.
Given that Madrid were yet to lose this season in 25 La Liga games in which they’d scored first – winning 23 of those – it looked to be an uphill battle from there for Sevilla, especially as it seemed to dampen their early spirits.
The visitors began to hoard possession, and saw Mbappé’s curler fly just beyond the far post as they looked to consolidate their lead ahead of the break.
The second half brought a much more open game, and Sevilla ramped up their efforts to equalise, with Akor Adams unlucky to have it taken off his foot before shooting from close range.
Their commitment to the cause allowed Madrid to counter, and Franco Mastantuono curled against the post, before Mbappé was flagged offside in breaking through and finding the net.
There was a look of desperation in Sevilla’s play in a fruitless last 10 minutes, with Isaac Romero’s weak effort never likely to trouble Courtois.
Despite their three-match winning run coming to an end with this defeat, Sevilla’s safety was still secured due to the fact that 18th-placed Girona play 17th-placed Elche next weekend.
Now just playing for pride, the major talking points in the capital will surround Álvaro Arbeloa’s tenure, which looks probable to come to an end at the season’s conclusion.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)