Jude Bellingham had an eventful evening for Real Madrid as Los Blancos were denied a late winner in controversial circumstances.
Carlo Ancelotti's side drew 2-2 at the Mestalla, but thought they had claimed all three points on offer after Bellingham found the back of the net in the 98th minute of the encounter.
But upon Brahim Diaz crossing the ball into the box, referee Gil Manzano blew the whistle for full-time, meaning Bellingham's subsequent header was ruled out.
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Manzano's decision sparked a furious reaction from Real's players, including Bellingham, who was shown a red card for his protests after reportedly saying "It's a f****** goal" to the Spanish official in his native tongue of English.
Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk put Valencia 2-0 up at the Mestella, and it took a double from Vinicius Jr either side of half-time to salvage what ultimately proved to be a point for Real, who are currently seven points clear at the top of the La Liga table.
Second-placed Girona could reduce that deficit to four points should they beat Mallorca this afternoon.
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Real boss Ancelotti defended Bellingham after his first dismissal for the Spanish giants, believing it was an 'unprecedented' situation which unfolded with the winner being ruled out.
He said: "There isn't much to say. Something unprecedented happened. We had possession. The play should stop when Valencia have the ball. It's unprecedented. It's never happened to me.
"We were annoyed with Bellingham's red card. He didn't say any insults. He said in English 'it's a f****** goal,' but he was just saying what we were all thinking ... [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.
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"[Bellingham] was clear in what he said. He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that's normal, after what happened. "It wasn't an insult, not at all."
Despite the sending off, Bellingham has had an incredibly successful maiden campaign with Los Blancos, scoring 20 goals so far following his big summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
The 20-year-old England midfielder has won plenty of plaudits for his actions on the pitch, but also how he conducts himself off of it.
And what Bellingham did after being sent off has only heightened that praise.
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Even after controversial scenes marred the end of the La Liga game and led to the midfielder being dismissed, Bellingham has clearly not let his success at such a young age go to his head and he still took the time to greet every single young fan in the tunnel he encountered after the game with either a photo or an autograph.
And taking to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, football fans have been quick to praise the rising star's actions.
@itz_Kennedy01 said: "That's a brilliant gesture from him."
@sebastineogb posted: "Great character."
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@_namedNameless wrote: "Can’t lie tho, I like Bellingham."
@JB_SoccerPitch said: "One of the nicest lads in football."
@Teeman12x posted: "That good sportsmanship from him."
What a fantastic moment from the Three Lions star.
Topics: Jude Bellingham, La Liga, Real Madrid, Valencia, Fan Reactions