Real dominated from the start, but after the first quarter of an hour, Ancelotti was forced to send on Marco Asencio for Antonio Rudiger, who had to withdraw with an injury. Three minutes later, the first shot on goal arrived. Jofre Carreras tried his luck from the edge of the box and Thibaut Courtois stretched to make the save.
Real Madrid were quick to respond. In the 22nd minute, Vini Jr. received the ball on the edge of the area and drove towards the centre until he spotted a gap through which he could put the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed for a prior foul by Mbappe. In the replay, it was plain to see that Pol Lozano had grabbed the Frenchman by the neck as he entered the area and that the striker then shook off the Espanyol player.
Five minutes before half-time Jude Bellingham went close with a drive from the edge of the box, but the ball ended up in the hands of Joan García. It remained goalless as the side went into the break.
After the interval the visitors almost took the lead. In the 51st minute Bellingham collected the ball and unleashed a left-footed effort that forced a great save from Joan García, but the rebound fell to Kylian Mbappe, who struck the post with his follow-up shot.
The minutes elapsed and in the 62nd minute came the most controversial moment of the game. Mbappe was racing towards the opposition goal and Carlos Romero, having no chance of reaching the ball, tried to thwart the counter-attack with a tackle from behind that caught the Frenchman's left calf. Referee Muniz Ruiz showed him a yellow card and in the VAR room Iglesias Villanueva, did not call his colleague over to review the incident, which should have been punished with a red card.
Madrid were still on the hunt for a goal and in the 73rd minute Vini Jr. fired in a long-range shot narrowly off target. Three minutes later, Rodrygo got the ball on the edge of the area, skipped past Carlos Romero with a beautiful feint and his finish crashed against the post. The Whites pressed Espanyol and in the 78th minute, a sharp shot from Kylian Mbappe was turned behind for a corner by Joan García.
Ancelotti's men certainly deserved to score, but it was Carlos Romero who made it 1-0 in the 85th minute following a counterattack. Romero who should have been sent off more than 20 minutes earlier scored. From then until the end, the Madridistas threw everyone forward in search of an equaliser, which almost came at the death when Kylian Mbappe's volley went over. Despite the loss Real remain top of the league.
Real Madrid have lodged a complaint over the refereeing in their La Liga defeat to Espanyol, claiming the game had "a level of manipulation and adulteration which cannot be ignored".
Alphonso Davies has quashed any hopes Real Madrid had of signing him as a free agent this summer by committing his future to Bayern Munich.
Antoine Griezmann has long dreamt of winning La Liga or the Champions League, but Atletico Madrid's French forward remains determined to add a major trophy to his collection before potentially leaving the club this summer.
Atletico Madrid are set to host Getafe at the Metropolitano Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey tonight, with both teams eager to secure a place in the semi-finals.
