Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the match as Atletico Madrid beat Villarreal 1-0 in La Liga on Wednesday.
The Spaniard came on in the 62nd minute and was on the scoresheet 12 minutes later as Atletico made it 11 games unbeaten in Spain's top flight.
Villarreal, meanwhile, are now without a win in their last 10 games in all competitions.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.
Match statistics
VILLARREAL
Shots: 13
On target: 3
Possession: 43%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 5
ATLETICO
Shots: 12
On target: 3
Possession: 55%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 18
Was the result fair?
This will not go down as a classic. Both sides had opportunities in a decent first period, but Antoine Griezmann and Koke missed good chances for Atletico, before Victor Ruiz brought an exceptional save from Jan Oblak down the other end. The second half, however, was disappointing. Neither had a great deal of willingness to commit players forward, but that said, if any team looked likely to win, then it was Atletico. The goal itself stemmed from a poor defensive error from the home side, but Torres did well to remain composed.
The statistics demonstrate that it was a close-fought match, with Atletico just shading the possession, but Villarreal having one more attempt (13) in total. Neither team would have been able to have many complaints if it did finish 0-0, but Atletico carried the greater threat as the play developed and possibly just about deserved to claim all three points. That said, Villarreal had two excellent opportunities to level in second-half stoppage time through Mario Gaspar and Jaume Costa.
Villarreal's performance
Villarreal were one of the best teams in Spain either side of Christmas, but their form has dramatically tailed off. It is now no win in 10 games in all competitions, but the Yellow Submarine have been crippled by injury. Head coach Marcelino was unable to select the likes of Mateo Musacchio, Bruno, Luciano Vietto, Giovani dos Santos, Denis Cheryshev and Ikechukwu Uche - who would all make their strongest XI. Interestingly, Marcelino went for two full-backs - Antonio Rukavina and Costa - in wide midfield positions against Atletico, but in truth, it just did not work.
As mentioned, Ruiz had their outstanding chance of the first period, but the on-loan Valencia defender was denied by a super save from Oblak, who clawed the defender's header away. The second period almost passed them by and a poor piece of defending from Eric Bailly allowed Torres to nip in and eventually find the back of the net, having deceived goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo. The home side did have two excellent chances in stoppage time, but Mario and Costa both failed to find the back of the net as Marcelino's side suffered yet another defeat.
Defensively, they managed to deal with the threat from Atletico for long spells, but there was simply not enough creativity down the other end. Gerard Moreno and Joel Campbell started as the front two and while the latter had some decent chances, there was no cutting edge. Villarreal are still almost certain to finish sixth this season despite their poor run, but that is mainly due to the inconsistency of the teams below them. They are going through a rotten spell.
Atletico's performance
While Villarreal's first-team squad has taken a kicking, the same cannot really be said for Atletico, who were only without the injured Mario Suarez. Head coach Diego Simeone selected a full-strength XI, but in truth, it was a very underwhelming performance from the Spanish champions. They had a good shout for a penalty after 14 minutes when Griezmann went down inside the box under a late challenge from Bojan Jokic, but the referee was not interested. Griezmann continued to look the most likely as the half progressed, but the Frenchman could not beat Asenjo.
It was a similar story in the second period, with a tough campaign seeming to to take its toll on the team. At this stage last season, they were in the title race and in the semi-finals of the Champions League, but they were knocked out of the European Cup by Real Madrid last week and are some way behind league leaders Barcelona this time around. There are positives that can be taken, however, with Torres making an excellent impact from the bench.
The Spaniard showed that he still has that burst of pace and indeed composure to secure all three points, and any victory away from home is impressive, regardless of the circumstances. It was also another excellent night for Oblak, who has thrived since replacing Miguel Moya between the sticks. It was the type of match where the first goal was always going to be important and when it came for Atletico, it was effectively game over. It will probably go down as a disappointing campaign for Atletico following last season's success, but they are currently 11 games unbeaten in La Liga and nailed-on to finish in third position.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Fernando Torres: There was not really a standout player, but as the match-winner, Torres deserves to be recognised. The goals have not exactly flowed since he returned to the Vicente Calderon, but he has proved an excellent option from the bench and he took his goal very well at El Madrigal.
Biggest gaffe
Unfortunately, Villarreal's Bailly will have nightmares about the winning goal. The Ivorian centre-back just did not deal with a bouncing ball and when he lost possession, Torres was through one on one with the goalkeeper and eventually found the back of the net. Bailly has shown plenty of positives since joining Villarreal from Espanyol, but there have been some high-profile errors and this was another.
Referee performance
It was not a particularly busy first half for referee Jose Gonzalez, who issued just one yellow card. There were a number of late challenges in the second period, however, and four yellows were to follow - all of which came for Atletico. The visitors also had a strong case for a penalty early on when Griezmann tumbled under pressure from Jokic, but Gonzalez was not interested.
What next?
Villarreal: The Yellow Submarine will make the trip to struggling Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Atletico: Next up for Atletico is a home game against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Matt Law
