Atletico Madrid vs. Espanyol: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Atletico Madrid saw off Espanyol comfortably at the Vicente Calderon to keep the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Antoine Griezmann's early goal—though there were some suggestions it could be an Enzo Roco own goal—made the difference for the Rojiblancos.
Although it was just a single goal that split the teams, the difference in quality was evident, and it could have been much more if the finishing by Atletico had been better.
Here are the winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Antoine Griezmann
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The opening goal came within three minutes, with Oliver Torres' fine cross brilliantly flicked home by Antoine Griezmann, or so it seemed.
He could see little of the goal but knew exactly where it was, nudging the ball past the defender and into the far corner with a soft touch. However, replays were inconclusive, with Enzo Roco appearing to get the final touch on the ball in some videos.
If this strike does go down as his, it will mean the Frenchman has opened the scoring for his side on eight occasions this season, an incredibly valuable attribute.
He had another good chance in the first half but was wrestled down, possibly illegally, and the moment passed.
Griezmann threaded through Yannick Ferreira Carrasco in the second period, but the Belgian was denied by Pau Lopez.
Loser: Tiago
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The veteran Atletico Madrid star has been excellent this season, a huge presence in the midfield.
However, he was taken off injured after an unsavoury incident in the first half of this game.
It wasn't that an Espanyol player put a dirty challenge in on him to end his participation, but the other way around.
Tiago needlessly clattered youngster Marco Asensio in the back but managed to damage himself while he did it. The Portuguese midfielder laid on the ground in agony and was taken off after 33 minutes for Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
AS's Twitter feed said Tiago "suffered a traumatic injury to his right shin" but added there was no fracture and the player was on his way to hospital to have it looked at.
Atletico will hope it's just a minor problem, while for his part, perhaps Tiago will think twice about kicking out at other players.
Winner: Oliver Torres
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Diego Simeone hasn't always given youngster Oliver Torres a chance to play from the off, with plenty of substitute appearances for the Spaniard this season.
But the 21-year-old started this game and helped Atletico dominate proceedings, getting on the ball a lot and allowing the game to flow through him.
It was his fine low cross that led to the opener, scored by Antoine Griezmann or Enzo Roco. On top of that, only a fine save by Pau Lopez denied him after he launched a strike from distance.
The hope for Atletico fans is that from here, Oliver can go on to convince manager Diego Simeone that he should be starting games week in and week out.
He was taken off after 74 minutes, with his job done, for the similarly named yet much less effective Fernando Torres.
That is a different problem for Atletico to solve.
Loser: Marco Asensio
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Marco Asensio is only 19 years old. The boy from Majorca has a long way to go in his development, and between now and when he becomes the star that he is destined to be, he will have some off games.
This was one of them.
Asensio was picked out by Diego Simeone before the game as someone who his team had to be wary of.
Per Sport, he said: "Asensio makes danger every time he's on the ball. He's a player I've always liked. He looks forward every time he's in possession and is a dangerous boy."
However, he struggled at the Vicente Calderon, a place he would have been hoping to impress in—back in the Spanish capital, with eyes from his parent club Real Madrid watching on.
Asensio was never given time to breathe by the home side, with players keen to close him down throughout.
This is something he'll have to get used to as a player of his ilk—talented, dazzling.
He'll also have to get used to being attacked, like Tiago's clumsy foul on him in the first half. It won't always be the aggressor who goes off injured.
Winner: Atletico's Defence
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This was the fifth clean sheet in a row for Atletico Madrid, and it seems, after a shaky start to the season, the usual defensive solidity they enjoy under Diego Simeone is reappearing.
Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, both Uruguayan, seem made for each other at centre-back.
Although the partnership between Godin and Miranda was what Atletico built their title win in 2013-14 on, Gimenez is growing slowly into a player who can match what the Brazilian offered.
There was almost no parts of this game in which Espanyol looked like threatening the Rojiblancos. Jan Oblak inspires confidence between the sticks, while Juanfran and Filipe Luis also impressed.
The Spaniard is a solid customer usually, while Filipe took a while to get used to life back at the Vicente Calderon—he seems more like the player he was with every passing game following his spell at Chelsea.
