It appeared they would be frustrated by Bilbao and goalkeeper Unai Simon, who thwarted Eduardo Camavinga’s rising drive and a Jude Bellingham header in a one-sided second half.

Real thought they had made the breakthrough with 11 minutes remaining but Vinicius Jr’s classy curler was ruled out for a marginal offside against Endrick in the build-up.

It took a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) delay to disallow the strike and, when the officials later deemed a clip on Bellingham in the area was not worth a review, it seemed another frustrating night was on the cards for the defending champions.

But full-back Valverde, who had twice earlier gone within inches of breaking the deadlock, popped up late with his sublime strike to ease the pressure on Ancelotti, whose side next face Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.

With ex-Real midfielder Xabi Alonso increasingly linked with the manager’s job, Ancelotti admitted this week he would discuss his future at the Bernabeu in the summer despite having a deal until 2026.