Atletico Madrid vs. Levante: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Atletico Madrid left it late again but beat Levante 1-0 to go top of La Liga in the first weekend of 2016.
The first half saw hosts Atletico dominate throughout and have plenty of chances, but they failed to really keep the tempo or creativity in their game to take the lead.
After the break, it was Koke who went closest as he struck the crossbar, before Thomas' late surge through the middle saw him score the only goal with 10 minutes to play.
Here are all our winners and losers from the match at the Vicente Calderon.
Winner: Diego Marino
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He might have conceded late on, and there's even an argument for the goal to go down as an own goal by the goalkeeper, but Levante's No. 1 Diego Marino was excellent throughout the match and can consider himself unfortunate to have been beaten at all.
Two strong first half saves kept his side level at the break, and his handling off Atleti's multiple corners, as well as quick distribution to set away counter-attacks, was first class.
Marino hasn't been the first pick for long—less than half a dozen games this season—but if he keeps up this kind of form, then the 25-year-old should remain in place for the second half of the campaign.
Loser: Jackson Martinez
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Making his first start post-injury, Jackson Martinez initially showed good movement in the game and was strong enough to link play, but neither he nor Antoine Griezmann really did anywhere near enough inside the penalty box.
Indeed, Griezmann wasted Atleti's two best chances in the first half by trying to set up the 29-year-old instead of shooting himself, and there's an argument for him to be named loser instead of Martinez, but the Colombian badly faded after the break and was subbed yet again without registering a goal.
A header off target was as close as he came—and his replacement, Thomas, netted the winner.
Winner: Saul Niguez
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Saul Niguez knows there is huge competition for places in the centre of the park at Atletico Madrid and, after this weekend, that will only get even more fierce—Augusto Fernandez has joined from Celta Vigo and Matias Kranevitter from River Plate.
The Atleti homegrown midfielder has impressed hugely in the last two months, however, holding down a spot since Tiago's injury and playing extremely well again against Levante.
His ability to surge forward into the attacking third and good heading ability in the penalty box make him a bonus attacker for Atleti, helping to create overloads down the channels and enabling him to be involved in scoring chances.
Loser: Levante's Goal-Shy Attack
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Most aspects of Levante's game were good at the Calderon: they were organised, fought well, tracked back from midfield and counter-attacked with good numbers—but inside the box, they were impotent.
A drilled shot just wide by Verza was as close as they came to a goal, and Jan Oblak was rarely asked to get involved from accurate crosses either in the Atletico goal; another game without scoring means it's just 12 in 18 games now in La Liga for Levante.
They haven't scored in their last three matches at all and, without improving that, they have no chance of closing the gap to safety.
Winner: Thomas
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Thomas has had a good impact off the bench for Atletico over the last month or so, but aside from the Copa del Rey, he hasn't quite managed to push himself into contention for a starting spot.
A big 15 minutes or so against Levante may swing Diego Simeone's thoughts his way, though. He showed good feet on the ball and the power to surge into the box, dribbling past a man to cross or pass to a team-mate, and he bundled the ball home for the game's only goal.
His acceleration and skill make him a danger in the final third, and he broke the lines as Gabi and Koke hadn't managed to do earlier on to good enough effect, and he sent Atleti top in the process.
