Substitute Vinicius Jr was dramatically sent off for pulling the hair of Nathan Saliba in Real Madrid's narrow win over Villarreal.

The Brazil forward thought he had scored a second goal for Real, with boss Jose Mourinho joining in his team's celebrations on the sidelines.

However, the goal was then ruled out after the referee reviewed the build-up on the pitchside monitor, with Vinicius clearly shown to have pulled Saliba's hair before scoring.

The referee then produced a red card and sent off Real's No 7 for violent conduct in the 72nd minute - 20 minutes after he had replaced England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The decision left Real Madrid furious with Mourinho not showing up for the obligatory post-match news conference.

Real were already leading 1-0 through teenager Yan Diomande's first goal for the club since joining from RB Leipzig for a fee worth up to £120m in August.

The 19-year-old struck in the 62nd minute, his low finish into the far corner originally ruled out by an offside flag before being overturned after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

After leaders Barcelona beat Getafe 3-0 earlier in the day, Real needed the victory to close the gap to the defending champions, but struggled to make an impression before Diomande's effort.

With eight games gone, Mourinho's men, who visit Barca on 25 October, are six points off top spot.

It was a frustrating night for Kylian Mbappe who wasted a couple of good chances as well as being denied by goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, while England midfielder Jude Bellingham was booked for a foul.

Why did Mourinho not speak? - analysis

Real Madrid are hardly renowned for sending players to speak to media, even after convincing victories. Today, you might have expected someone to step forward, steady the ship, speak positively about the win and offer their reaction to the refereeing decisions.

But that never happened.

That, in itself, is not particularly unusual. What is unusual, however, is that Mourinho, for the first time since taking charge, refused to attend the post-match news conference.

Journalists waited and waited, but the door never opened. Instead, word quickly spread that he would not be speaking because he was reportedly worried that whatever he said could result in a suspension.

Mourinho's frustration with the officials had been evident throughout the game. He was shown a yellow card and, on several occasions, had to be physically restrained by members of his staff as his emotions threatened to boil over.

The turning point came with the red-card decision following Vinicius' disallowed goal. Mourinho had sprinted across the pitch to celebrate alongside his player, only for the situation to descend into chaos. As the officials made their way off the pitch, they were met with a furious reaction, with Real Madrid players surrounding the referee.

What began as an uneventful, lacklustre and uninspiring contest suddenly erupted into a second half filled with drama, controversy and a second red card in successive games for Real following Dean Huijsen's dismissal against Atletico Madrid.

But beneath all the chaos, one thing was clear. This was an immensely disappointing performance from Mourinho's men.

For all the controversy surrounding the officiating, they did little to suggest they are a side capable of mounting a serious title challenge.

If you were Barcelona, you certainly wouldn't feel threatened by what you saw. Not one single bit.

What are the laws on hair pulling?
Under Law 12 of the IFAB Laws of the Game, pulling an opponent's hair falls under Violent Conduct, which results in a straight red card.

The laws state a player who is not challenging for the ball must be sent off if they make a clear action to pull the hair of an opponent with force.

Premier League referees though have changed the way they judge hair pulling this season after three players were sent off for the offence in 2025-26.

From this season, a red card will not be shown every time a player is seen to pull an opponent's hair. Instead, greater emphasis will be placed on both the level of force and the intention.

Vinicius Jr's deliberate yank of Saliba's hair, though, would also likely have led to a dismissal in England.

In September, Antigua and Barbuda had two players sent off for hair pulling in a Concacaf Nations League game against Anguilla.