Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid beat 2-0 Getafe in La Liga on Tuesday evening.
Griezmann's first effort came just four minutes into the match, before the Frenchman added a second in the final minute.
The result has moved Atletico into second position in the table, while Getafe, who have now lost four of their opening five matches of the new league season, sit down in 15th.
Here, Sports Mole has dissected the 90 minutes of action between the capital rivals.
Match statistics
ATLETICO
Shots: 12
On target: 3
Possession: 57%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 13
GETAFE
Shots: 6
On target: 2
Possession: 43%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Getafe's work-rate and desire, especially in the second period, must be recognised, but when taking into account everything that occurred at the Vicente Calderon, it is difficult to argue that Atletico did not deserve to collect all the points. It was the type of game that the visitors needed to start well in order to stand a chance of securing a positive result, but after falling behind inside four minutes, it was always going to be an uphill challenge. Getafe's best moments of the first period did not occur until the final couple of minutes, but they certainly threatened on a number of occasions in the second half.
Indeed, Pedro Leon had the outstanding chance of the second 45 minutes, but the Getafe skipper could not convert from inside the box. It did appear that Atletico would close out for a 1-0 win, but with the visitors pushing forward, Griezmann managed to add a second in the final minute. Supporters of the visitors will argue that their team deserved a share of the spoils, but statistics rarely paint a false picture in football and the fact that Atletico dominated all of the main areas is an indication of what occurred in Madrid. The correct team collected all three points in Tuesday's derby match.
Atletico's performance
It has been a busy last seven days for Atletico and with that in mind, Diego Simeone made a whole host of changes to his XI for the clash with Getafe. In came the likes of Guilherme Siqueira, Oliver Torres, Fernando Torres, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and Saul Niguez, while there was a debut at centre-back for Stefan Savic. Simeone would have wanted a fast start from his team and that is exactly what occurred, with Griezmann's excellent touch and finishing opening the scoring early on.
The home supporters would have expected their team to kick on from that moment, but that was not really the case, with Getafe's back four managing to deal with everything that came into the box. Siqueira was perhaps the home side's biggest attacking threat in the first period, but the likes of Fernando Torres and Carrasco were struggling to make their mark. Angel Correa was introduced at the interval in a bid to add spark to their final third, but it was Getafe that continued to impress.
As is often the case, however, Diego Godin was excellent at the heart of the defence and helped repel a host of late pressure. The introduction of Jackson Martinez also added a new threat and it was the Colombian, who had missed a couple of chances of his own, that showed excellent ability down the left to pick out Griezmann for Atletico's second goal. It was not exactly a performance that caught the imagination, with most of the football being played in the middle of the park, but at this stage of the season, it is points and not performances that matter the most. Simeone's side are now up to second.
Getafe's performance
Fran Escriba's side did not exactly enter the match in the best of form, but a 1-0 win over Malaga last time out did end a run of three straight defeats at the start of the new season. It was not too much of a surprise that Escriba sent out a fairly defensive starting XI, but there were certainly players in the team that had the potential to cause Atletico problems. A bright start would have been part of the team-talk prior to the match, but Griezmann's effort four minutes in was a big blow.
The goal itself was bad enough, but Escriba would have been fuming with his back four and especially Alexis, who did not push out and left Griezmann in an onside position to finish. As touched upon, Getafe's best spell of the first half came in the final couple of minutes when Stefan Scepovic twice had chances to level, but the on-loan Celtic striker could only hit the side netting before bringing a smart save from Jan Oblak. At the interval, the visitors would have been optimistic about the second half.
Indeed, it was Getafe that played the better football in the early stages of the second period and their best chance to level came in the 63rd minute when Alvaro Medran set up Leon, but the midfielder could only fire wide of the post. The visitors continued to threaten with a series of long balls late on, but they were always vulnerable to the counter and that is what occurred as Griezmann scored a second. A defeat is always disappointing, but Getafe played some good football at the Calderon and their manager will be able to take some positives. Next up is a clash with Levante, which is already a massive game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Antoine Griezmann: Once again the go-to man for Atletico, Griezmann opened the scoring in the fourth minute, before scoring his second in the 90th minute. The Frenchman, who now has five goals to his name this season, was always a threat in the final third as he took up a number of forward positions.
Biggest gaffe
There are a couple of incidents that stand out here, with Leon's miss at 1-0 being one of them. However, a poor defensive mistake led to Getafe conceding their first of the evening. The back four should have pushed out when an Atletico corner was cleared to the edge of the box, but Gabi's delivery was allowed to be finished by Griezmann, who had been played onside by the unfocused Alexis.
Referee performance
Despite issuing five yellow cards, referee Alfonso Alvarez had a really good game at the Calderon. The Spaniard was always prepared to let the play flow in the correct areas and was not interested in any play-acting from either team. It was a strong and composed performance from Alvarez.
What next?
Atletico: Next up for Simeone's side is a trip to in-form Villarreal on Saturday evening.
Getafe: Getafe return to action at home to Levante on Sunday evening.
Matt Law
