Deportivo Alaves 0-4 Atletico Madrid: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Atleti Storm to Emphatic Win
Atletico Madrid ended their two-match losing run with an emphatic 4-0 win over Deportivo Alaves at the Estadio de Mendizorroza.
Diego Simeone's men got off to the perfect start with Saul Niguez firing them ahead after just four minutes, before Diego Costa unleashed a fine effort from 20 yards out which sailed into the top corner to double the visitors' lead after just 12 minutes of action.
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The visitors looked as though they were really enjoying their football and looked threatening every time they went forward, with Alvaro Morata then joining in on the fun in the second half by getting his name on the scoresheet on the hour mark with a clinical finish. Thomas Partey wrapped up the scoring in sublime fashion as Atletico ran out comfortable 4-0 winners.
Here's a breakdown of the night's events:
DEPORTIVO ALAVES
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Pacheco (5); Navarro (5), Laguardia (5), Ely (6), Duarte (6); Brasanac (5), Pina (5), Garcia (6), Jony (7); Guidetti (6), Calleri (6).
Substitutes: Inui (6), Wakaso (6), Twumasi (5).
ATLETICO MADRID
Key Talking Point
Heading into the game Atletico had suffered back-to-back defeats having been dumped out of the Champions League by Juventus before being beaten comfortably by Athletic Bilbao in their following game.
Coming back from the international break Diego Simeone was looking for a response, and boy did he get one. His side were dominant from the first whistle to the last and put together some great passages of play throughout the game.
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They looked a lot more like the Atletico Madrid we've become accustomed to seeing in recent seasons, and Los Colchoneros willbe hoping to continue this form in the weeks to come and finish the season strongly, with the gap between themselves and league leaders Barcelona back down to 10 points.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Oblak (7); Juanfran (6), Gimenez (8), Godin (7), Luis (6); Griezmann (8), Thomas (8), Koke (7), Niguez (9); Costa (8), Morata (8).
Substitutes: Lemar (7), Kalinic (6), Correa (6).
STAR MAN - There were a number of impressive performances on the night, but Saul proved to be effective at both ends of the pitch.
Not only did he put his side ahead with a very clinical finish, he then saved a goal thanks to a fantastic goal line clearance. He has been criticised at times this season, but he is now showing the kind of form which has earned him so many plaudits across Europe in recent seasons.
Looking Ahead
Alaves' six match unbeaten run may have come to an end, but they'll be hoping to get back to winning ways when they travel to face Sevilla on Thursday night. As for Atletico, they keep the pressure up on La Liga leaders Barcelona with the win, and will be hoping to make it back-to-back victories when they host Girona on Tuesday night.
