With Real Madrid winning all 11 league matches in which they’d scored first this season, the opening goal was going to be key, and both sides were left ruing a great chance to score it in the first seven minutes.
Rodrygo and Alexis Sanchez both played defence-splitting passes, but Fran Garcia had his shot smothered by Odysseas Vlachodimos, before Isaac Romero lofted the ball over Thibaut Courtois but watched it drop agonisingly wide.
Sevilla were regularly putting their hosts under pressure, but the next real chance fell to Kylian Mbappe 10 minutes later, as he flashed an effort across goal from a tight angle.
After Dean Huijsen sent a header from a corner flying over the bar midway through the half, the visitors looked to be doing enough to keep the match level until the break.
That was until the 38th minute, when Rodrygo swung in a free-kick from the right, and Jude Bellingham rose highest in the penalty area to head Los Blancos into that all-important lead.
Former Barcelona man Sanchez was determined to respond, and tried to do so in style, yet his bicycle kick on the stroke of half-time landed on the roof of the net.
On target three times in his previous two matches, Mbappé was left wondering how he didn’t score in the first 12 minutes of the second half, during which he sent two strikes from ideal positions straight at Vlachodimos.
Moreover, those chances came on either side of him sprinting in from the left wing and sending another effort a whisker wide, before the Sevilla goalkeeper tipped his header onto the crossbar.
Then again, Los Nervionenses were keeping Courtois busy, as the Belgian was called upon to make two key saves apiece from Sanchez and Isaac Romero.
However, the visitors’ slim chances of a first away victory in five were dealt a blow midway through the second period, when a rash Marcao challenge on Bellingham earned the defender a second yellow card.
Matias Almeyda’s reshuffled side needed Vlachodimos to keep them in the game by turning a fierce Rodrygo effort onto the bar, but when the Brazilian was upended by Juanlu Sanchez in the box five minutes from time, the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop Mbappe from finally scoring his 18th league goal of the season from the penalty spot.
A second Madrid penalty was overturned by VAR, but they had done enough for an 11th home league win in 12, as Sevilla have now lost six of their last nine.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rodrygo (Real Madrid)