Real Madrid needed Jude Bellingham to drag them out of another awkward afternoon as the midfielder struck an equaliser in the eighty seventh minute to earn a two two draw at Elche in the Spanish league on Sunday.
It was another laboured outing for a side that has suddenly slipped out of rhythm after a blistering start to the season.
Madrid twice came from behind and never looked settled. Elche took the lead early in the second half when Aleix Febas finished a clever move in the fifty third minute.
The visitors huffed and stalled until Dean Huijsen levelled in the seventy eighth, only for Álvaro Rodríguez to bundle Elche back in front six minutes later. Relief arrived when Bellingham reacted quickest inside the area to rescue a point that felt more like a warning.
The draw nudged Madrid one point ahead of Barcelona who thrashed Athletic Bilbao four nil on Saturday in their return to the revamped Camp Nou Stadium.
It also confirmed a worrying trend for Xabi Alonso whose side had won thirteen of their first fourteen matches in all competitions before this recent dip.
The stalemate followed a goalless draw at Rayo Vallecano in the league and a one nil defeat at Liverpool in the Champions League group stage.
Kylian Mbappé offered a flicker of flair and imagination that briefly lifted the team while Vinícius Júnior came on in the second half but neither could drag Madrid into full control.
Elche who are stuck in eleventh place and winless in six league outings showed far more edge until Víctor Chust was shown a red card deep into stoppage time.
Madrid escaped with a point yet again but their form is beginning to look fragile and the league table is tightening at the top.
