Atletico Madrid moved level on points with second-place Barcelona in the La Liga table following a 3-1 win over Levante on Saturday.
Antoine Griezmann scored twice for the hosts before Nabil El Zhar cut the deficit to one goal just past the hour.
Atletico made sure of the points late on, however, when Diego Godin found the back of the net with a header.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action from the Spanish capital.
Match statistics
ATLETICO
Shots: 13
On target: 5
Possession: 66%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 6
LEVANTE
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 34%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
It would have been extremely unjust if Atletico had not picked up all the points. The Spanish champions should have been out of sight at the break after creating a number of first-half chances, but just the one goal arrived. Griezmann made it 2-0 early in the second period and it appeared that Atletico would control the remainder of the match, but Levante had not read the script and netted just past the hour through El Zhar. For a 10-minute period, the visitors were on top and threatened to to level the scores, but Atletico managed to regroup and made sure of the points late on courtesy of Godin. Levante can be proud of their overall display, but there is no doubt that the right team collected all three points.
Atletico's performance
Atletico were written off for long periods of last season, but still won the title. They are again being questioned this term, but are now level on points with second-place Barcelona and right in the race once again. It was far from a vintage display from Diego Simeone's side, but they were in control for long spells and should have added a few more goals. In fact, had they not had two goals disallowed in the first period, then the match would certainly have been over at the interval.
Griezmann scored a hat-trick against Athletic Bilbao last time out and added another two goals against Levante to continue his strong scoring run for his new club. It proved to be a frustrating match for Mario Mandzukic, but the Croatian's work rate was there for all to see. With Koke, Gabi and Tiago all pulling the strings in midfield, Atletico simply had too much for Levante in the capital. It was also another impressive performance from Guilherme Siqueira, who has been a strong replacement for Filipe Luis.
Levante's performance
Levante's game-plan against Atletico was fairly simple - attempt to soak up the pressure and then play on the counter-attack. That method worked in the early stages, but the visitors were up against it from the moment that Griezmann opened the scoring. They were lucky to still be in the match at the interval following a half that was dominated by the home team. The score became 2-0 after 47 minutes, but Levante must be credited for their strong response.
It was El Zhar that netted just past the hour mark and the goal certainly gave the away side confidence. The likes of Jose Morales and Victor Casadesus were both busy in wide areas, but they lacked a killer instinct in the final third. On another day, their second-half performance might have been enough to take something from the match, but their challenge ended after 82 minutes when Godin scored the fourth goal of the match. That said, whether Levante survive in La Liga this season is not going to depend on their results at places such as the Vicente Calderon.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Antoine Griezmann: It would be fair to say that it has taken Griezmann a little bit of time to settle at Atletico, but the Frenchman is now showing his top form for the Spanish champions. The attacker's brace against Levante made it five goals in his last two league matches, while his overall performance was also extremely impressive. Levante really struggled to deal with Griezmann's movement.
Biggest gaffe
With 10 minutes remaining, Levante were very much in the match at 2-1 behind. However, Atletico scored their third after 82 minutes when Godin headed a Tiago cross into the back of the net. It was a strong header from the Atletico defender, but Levante goalkeeper Diego Marino must take some of the blame. For some reason, he decided to depart his goal and attempt to punch the cross clear, but he got nowhere near the ball, leaving Godin to head home with relative ease.
Referee performance
Referee Alfonso Alvarez, with help from his linesman, rightly chalked off two Atletico goals in the first period following an offside call and a handball from Mandzukic. The official also remained on top of proceedings whenever a feisty challenge occurred, with five yellow cards issued. However, Alvarez made a bit of a gaffe late on when he turned down a penalty shout for Levante. Jose Gimenez brought David Barral to the ground and replays showed that there was clear contact on the Spanish attacker.
What next?
Atletico: The Spanish champions face Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 Copa del Rey clash on Wednesday, before travelling to Barcelona in the league next weekend. A huge week.
Levante: Levante are also in Copa del Rey last-16 action during the week as they travel to Malaga for the first leg on Tuesday. Their next league match is at home to Deportivo La Coruna next Friday.
Matt Law
