Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal as Real Madrid beat nine-man Getafe to move above reigning champions Barcelona and return to the top of La Liga.
The hosts had substitute Allan Nyom sent off for violent conduct only 44 seconds after he came on as the former Watford and West Brom full-back was judged to have elbowed Vinicius Jr.
Real instantly made their numerical advantage count as Mbappe collected Arda Guler’s pass through the heart of the Getafe defence and slotted the ball past keeper David Soria in the 80th minute.
The home side’s task to get back into the game then became even harder as striker Alex Sancris was dismissed for a second bookable offence with six minutes left.
However, Getafe almost snatched an unlikely draw in the sixth minute of injury time, only for Real keeper Thibaut Courtois to make a vital save to block Hull City loanee Abu Kamara’s effort.
When the match started, players from both sides refused to move for the opening 15 seconds to continue the protests that have been seen throughout La Liga games.
The protests follow the Spanish league’s decision to stage a game in the United States, with Villarreal’s fixture against Barcelona set to take place at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on 20 December.
Real knew only a victory would take them back above Barcelona, who beat Girona 2-1 on Saturday.
Home goalkeeper Soria made two early stops to deny Mbappe and then produced an excellent double save just before half-time to keep out David Alaba’s free-kick and Federico Valverde’s follow-up attempt.
Frenchman Mbappe also fired wide from a tight angle after being released by Jude Bellingham.
The England midfielder, who was left out of the Three Lions squad for last week’s matches against Wales and Latvia, made only his second start of the season for Real following shoulder surgery in July.
It was a frustrating evening for the Madrid outfit, before the 37-year-old Nyom’s dismissal left gaps in the home defence, which Xabi Alonso’s side punished to get the victory.
England full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was again absent as he recovers from the hamstring injury suffered in September’s Champions League game against Marseille.
Real are next in action on Wednesday, 22 October, when they entertain Juventus in the Champions League and bid for a third win in as many group phase matches.