Real Madrid fans have turned their frustration on Kylian Mbappe after the French forward endured a difficult outing in his side’s 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal on Saturday.

Kylian Mbappe started at the Santiago Bernabeu but struggled to make an impact up front. Although Real Madrid secured all three points thanks to Yan Diomande’s second-half winner, many supporters felt the Frenchman was one of the team’s poorest performers on the night.

Social media reactions were swift, with some fans questioning why Jose Mourinho never drops the 27-year-old, even when his performances leave a lot to be desired.

Some supporters criticised the Frenchman for failing to step up when the team really needs him, while others called for his exit from the Santiago Bernabeu. Below are some of the top reactions culled from X (formerly Twitter):

Despite the criticism, Mbappe came close to opening the scoring in the first half, striking the post before Real Madrid eventually found the breakthrough in the second half through Diomande. Jose Mourinho’s side held on for a narrow win, despite being down to 10 men after a red card for Vinicius Junior.

The result keeps Los Blancos in the hunt near the top of the La Liga table, but their overall performance has raised more questions than answers, especially with their arch-rivals Barcelona flying high in the Spanish top flight this term.

What is next for Real Madrid?

After picking up three vital points against Villarreal on Sunday, Real Madrid will look to build on that momentum as they try to overturn their slow start to the season and compete on all fronts.

Up next, the Spanish giants will shift their focus to the UEFA Champions League, where they are set to meet AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico this Wednesday (October 14).

Following that, Jose Mourinho’s men will return to action in La Liga with a clash with Sevilla on Sunday (October 18) before facing RB Leipzig in another Champions League game on Wednesday (October 21). It remains to be seen how they will cope with this run of fixtures.

As it stands, Real Madrid sit third in the La Liga table with 18 points from eight games, with six wins and two defeats so far. They also got their Champions League spell off to a winning start, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in their opening fixture.

Their derby rivals, Atletico Madrid, are currently sitting second.