Atletico Madrid vs. Eibar: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Atletico Madrid saw off Eibar 3-1 at the Vicente Calderon to go back to the top of La Liga, level with Barcelona on 51 points.
The Catalans have two games in hand over the capital side and could go back clear at the top by Sunday lunchtime after their game against Levante.
This victory was notable for Fernando Torres' 100th goal in an Atletico shirt, sealing the win, after Jose Gimenez and Saul Niguez had helped them come from behind.
Keko Gontan had blasted the Basque minnows ahead to scare the La Liga title contenders.
Here are the winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Fernando Torres
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Fernando Torres' future at Atletico Madrid is far from safe, but he took the first step in the right direction to securing it, by scoring his 100th goal in a Rojiblancos shirt.
He had been on a 19-game drought, and it felt like the strike he needed to reach the milestone would never come.
The last time he had netted was in September and it led to concerns Atletico would not try and sign him on a permanent deal after his loan from AC Milan expires at the end of the season.
In theory, Atletico shouldn't be allowed to register any players in the summer because of their FIFA ban, but they are currently fighting against that.
Torres will have to do a lot more in the weeks ahead to convince the chiefs he is worthy of staying, but this was a good start.
He will have more chance of game-time now with Jackson Martinez being sold to Guangzhou Evergrande in January.
After being brought on as a substitute, Torres fluffed one golden opportunity when sent through one-on-one, and it seemed like his drought was going to continue.
But in the 90th minute, Luciano Vietto fired the ball across and Torres bundled home from close range, exploding with joy.
The fans, too, were howling in delight, while Diego Simeone appeared to lose his mind on the sideline, jumping up and down.
He has always backed Torres, even if he knows the striker's uses are few these days.
Torres said after the game, per Sport: "I grew up here. I used to go in the stands like them. This will go down in history and I'll never forget it."
He gave his shirt to his former mentor Manuel Brinas, seeking him out in the stands after the game. Now Torres needs to continue in this vein to ensure he still has one to wear at the start of next season.
Loser: Asier Riesgo
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Asier Riesgo was the first man Fernando Torres beat for 19 games. He was also the last man Torres beat before his drought began.
But that is not why the veteran Eibar goalkeeper is one of our "losers" from this game.
The 32-year-old is here because he could have done more to stop Saul's header that sent Atletico's 2-1 up in the second half.
Riesgo got a good hand to the effort, which was close to him, but he only succeeded in palming it into the roof of his net.
Perhaps he also needs to organise his defence better, with the first goal also coming from a set-piece.
Winner: Koke
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Koke did not have the best start to the season, but he is slowly becoming more influential.
He set up Atletico Madrid's first two goals here, with wicked deliveries from corners.
Along with his overall displays, even his set-piece taking seemed to be in decline at the start of this season.
That is somewhat reflected in the statistic that Atletico have only scored five headers in La Liga this season.
Per Opta, last term they had scored 20 in 23 games, the same number they have played so far in this campaign.
As well as scoring the opener for Atletico against Barcelona last week, Koke is finding his best form more regularly.
That's good news for Simeone and Co., and also for Spain, who will need him at UEFA Euro 2016 in France this summer.
Winner: Oliver Torres
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It was a good day for Fernando Torres, but also for Oliver. Brought on by Diego Simeone in the second half, he changed the game.
The midfielder was at his creative best after a period of being essentially frozen out of the team.
Simeone last started him in early January, when he played under an hour against Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Rey before getting the hook.
Oliver had, admittedly, lost his form and his way a bit, but persevering with him seemed like a better idea than cutting him out.
Bar a couple of cameos against Celta Vigo and Rayo again, both in the cup, he has not appeared.
Until today. Oliver was a whirlwind of menace, striking fear into Eibar, and he should have set up a goal for the other Torres, with a perfect lofted through-ball.
The opportunity was spurned, but it was a sign of the midfielder's quality and what he has to offer.
Winner: Saul
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Saul's day looked like it was heading downhill.
With Diego Godin suspended, Stefan Savic injured, Juanfran and Filipe Luis suspended too, Atletico were playing a makeshift defence, with Saul at the heart of it.
And, perhaps being in a position he was not used to, his concentration slipped and he made a basic error.
Dawdling on the ball in front of his own box, he was robbed by Sergi Enrich, who laid the ball across for Keko Gontan—one touch to set himself and a second to launch the ball into the net saw Eibar go ahead.
Saul did not curl up into a ball and try to hide. Instead, he came out swinging.
As well as an all-round improved performance after that, he scored the goal that sent Atletico ahead, nodding home from a corner.
Diego Simeone said afterwards, per Sport: "Saul's response was enormous, above all for how he reacted to the situation in the game."
