Atletico Madrid consolidated third position in La Liga with a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Tuesday.

Both goals came in the first 10 minutes, with Antoine Griezmann registering against his former club after Mikel Gonzalez had turned a Koke corner into his own net.

Atletico are now just two points behind second-placed Real Madrid, while Sociedad remain in 10th position.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action in the Spanish capital.

Match statistics

ATLETICO
Shots: 12
On target: 7
Possession: 57%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 13

SOCIEDAD
Shots: 9
On target: 2
Possession: 43%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 17

Was the result fair?

There are certain games that can be best described as 'routine home wins' and that was indeed the case here. Sociedad will have fancied their chances of causing a shock due to their excellent run of form, but they were behind inside two minutes when Gonzalez headed into his own net. The visitors had been warned as Arda Turan struck the post moments before, but it was yet another set-piece goal that made the breakthrough. Sociedad needed to settle in the 10 or 15-minute period that followed, but they conceded a second just eight minutes after the first as Atletico raced into a two-goal lead.

In fairness to Sociedad, they played some nice football in the final third and managed to restrict Atletico to very few clear chances for the remainder of the match, but David Moyes's team simply did not offer enough in the final third. The statistics show that Atletico had more possession and more shots and that tells the story. It is not a match that will live long in the memory, but Diego Simeone will not mind as his team racked up their third straight 2-0 victory in Spain's top flight to move further clear of fourth-placed Valencia.

Atletico's performance

Simeone was without Mario Mandzukic, Diego Godin and Juanfran, among others, for the clash, but such is the strength of the squad, the Argentine was able to replace quality with quality. The home side were on the front foot from the very first whistle and as mentioned, struck the post through Turan moments before opening the scoring after just two minutes. A second arrived after 10 minutes when Griezmann finished from close range and it might have been three before the break, with Koke seeing his searching effort land on the top of the crossbar. Atletico are not a team that tend to throw away leads, especially at home and especially against a team that played without a centre-forward and that once again proved the case.

It was not a particularly impressive performance from the home side in terms of attacking football and quality in the final third, but it was a professional display from a team that are more concerned with results at this stage of the season. Jose Gimenez had another excellent game at the back, while Tiago and Koke both impressed in the middle of the park. Not too much happened in terms of opportunities in the second period, but Atletico remained strong at the back and there was not really a single period of the match where they were in trouble. Overall, it was a really comfortable three points for the hosts.

Sociedad's performance

Sociedad entered the match having won three of their last four games in the league, but head coach Moyes was without first-choice centre-back pairing Ion Ansotegi and Inigo Martinez, who were both suspended. The Scot also decided to leave Imanol Agirretxe and Esteban Granero on the bench, with the likes of Ruben Pardo, David Zurutuza and Gorka Elustondo coming into the team. When the lineups were announced, it became clear that Sociedad were playing without a recognised centre-forward and in truth, that was their main problem in Madrid as they struggled to threaten the hosts. Chory Castro worked hard in the final third, but aside from a late free kick from Granero, Sociedad hardly tested Jan Oblak in the Atletico goal. It was always going to be the type of game where they needed to start well, but their gameplan went out of the window inside two minutes when Martinez scored an own goal.

While falling 1-0 behind was not ideal, Sociedad still had more than enough time to respond, but their task become a lot harder after 10 minutes when Griezmann took advantage of some poor goalkeeping to finish from close range. Moyes did make changes in the second period, with Agirretxe and Alfred Finnbogason both introduced, but neither striker could make their mark as Atletico remained strong at the back. It was almost as if the Basque outfit were trying to play direct football, but without a centre-forward. It was a disappointing result for Sociedad, but losing at Atletico is not the end of the world. There is also some good news on the horizon, with Mexican international Carlos Vela closing on a first-team return for the club.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Tiago: In a game that disappointed for long spells, Tiago was the shining light. Chelsea tried to re-sign the Portuguese last summer, but Simeone insisted that the midfielder was still a key part of his plans. The 33-year-old absolutely ran the show from a deep position and set up a number of chances.

Biggest gaffe

Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who is on loan in Spain from Deportivo Maldonadohas, been one of the most impressive stoppers in the league this season, but he will be disappointed with his part in Atletico's second goal. The Argentine faced a fairly tame strike from Koke, but instead of pushing the Spaniard's effort wide of the goal, he parried straight into the path of Griezmann, who finished from close range. It was a disappointing moment from a player that has shown some excellent form in recent months.

Referee performance

In truth, referee Alberto Undiano will not have many easier games to officiate at this level of football. There was hardly a single challenge of note throughout the match and he did not issue a single yellow card until the 83rd minute, when Turan had his name taken for a foul on Joseba Zaldua.

What next?

Atletico: Simeone's side face a difficult trip to Malaga on Saturday.

Sociedad: The Basque outfit are back at home this weekend, with Deportivo La Coruna making the trip to San Sebastian on Sunday.