The England star, 22, was left with blood pouring down his face after taking a heavy elbow to the head shortly before the hour mark, opening a deep gash beneath his right eye. Trainers rushed onto the pitch as the midfielder staggered off for treatment, visibly dazed, before returning moments later only to be booked for stepping back onto the field without the referee’s permission.

The drama only intensified. Within seconds, left-back Fran Garcia was shown two yellow cards in the space of one frantic minute, sparking fury from manager Xabi Alonso, who appeared to shout, “Fran, don’t mess with me!” from his technical area as the defender trudged off.

And Real’s misery didn’t end there. Deep into stoppage time, substitute Alvaro Carreras followed Garcia down the tunnel after collecting a second yellow, leaving Madrid scrambling with nine players as Celta’s Williot Swedberg struck his second goal of the night to seal a stunning upset.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, nursing a quad injury that will keep him out for nearly two months, watched from the stands as Madrid’s title push crumbled further. Once five points clear of Barcelona, they now sit four behind their rivals after dropping points in four of their last five league matches.

Veteran commentator Rob Palmer offered a scathing assessment of Real’s plight on social media, writing: “In three decades of covering Real Madrid, I don’t think I’ve seen a situation this desperate. Players listless. Xabi Alonso powerless. Injuries mounting. Two defenders sent off.”

Alonso, who made a blistering start with 10 wins from his first 11 matches, now faces the biggest test of his short managerial tenure. Confidence is fragile, the squad is stretched, and the mood around the Bernabeu has turned anxious just days before a crucial Champions League showdown with Manchester City.

Madrid are at least in a strong European position four wins from five in the League Phase but their domestic collapse has set alarm bells ringing across the club hierarchy.

Bellingham is expected to undergo further assessment after the match to determine whether stitches are required for the cut that forced him off temporarily. The midfielder has been central to Madrid’s hopes this season, but even he could not pull his team out of the chaos unfolding around him.

The crisis is deepening. The pressure is rising. And with key fixtures piling up, Real Madrid appears one step away from disaster as the winter schedule approaches.