A historically difficult fixture for Atlético Madrid lived up to its reputation in the first half, as the Rojiblancos struggled to create quality chances in the final third. Jonathan David came closest to breaking the deadlock, but a brilliant save from Ángel Fortuño denied the striker and ensured the two sides entered halftime on level terms.
The substitutions appeared to inject some much-needed life into Atlético’s attack in the second half, with perhaps none proving more influential than Álex Baena.
The Spaniard continued his excellent run of form, coming to Atlético’s rescue in the dying moments with a brilliant strike from outside the penalty area.
The result was more than deserved for Atlético, who created more chances, enjoyed more possession and were comfortably the better side throughout the afternoon. Espanyol offered little in the way of an attacking threat, rarely troubling Atlético’s defense until the closing stages of the match. For Los Rojiblancos, the victory marks their sixth consecutive win and a second straight clean sheet.
Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings from a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Barcelona.
Starting XI
Jan Oblak
Oblak certainly picked the right moment to make his first save of the afternoon, denying Pol Lozano’s deflected effort in the 94th minute to preserve Atlético’s narrow lead. It was a relatively quiet outing for the Slovenian, but he once again delivered when called upon, playing a crucial role in securing all three points. 7
Dani Martínez
A solid outing from Dani Martínez, as the youngster continues to grow in confidence and deliver when called upon. He appears to improve with every start and is steadily making a case for more playing time. Martínez was ultimately replaced by Grimaldo as Atlético looked to introduce a greater attacking threat down the left flank. 6
Dávid Hancko
Another quietly impressive performance from Hancko, who made several important defensive contributions and helped keep Espanyol’s attacking threats at bay for much of the afternoon. 7
Marc Pubill
Solid return to the starting lineup for Pubill. Similar to Hancko, he was not called into action much, but did well to stifle any genuine counter attacks or chances from Espanyol. 7
Cuti Romero
The signing of Cuti Romero continues to look better with every passing match. Before being substituted in the 67th minute, the Argentine recorded six defensive contributions and was not dribbled past a single time. His substitution appeared to be a precautionary decision from Cholo Simeone, with Romero having already picked up a yellow card. 7
Morten Hjulmand
Morten Hjulmand was great today, my man of the match. Led the team in touches and defensive contributions. Unlucky to not head home the corner from Grimaldo in the 77th minute. 8
Pablo Barrios
Simeone clearly has a plan in place to manage Barrios’ minutes, with the midfielder playing just 54 minutes this afternoon. While limiting his playing time is likely the correct decision, it is still disappointing to see Barrios unable to complete the full 90 minutes, given the creativity and quality he brings to Atlético’s midfield. 6
Giuliano Simeone
A decent outing from Giuliano, who may not have contributed much to the stat sheet but remained active down the right flank, contributing in both attacking and defensive phases. The Argentine was involved in several attacking moves for Los Colchoneros, although his overall impact was somewhat limited. 6
Ademola Lookman
Another difficult outing for Ademola Lookman, who continues to struggle with form and confidence despite finding the back of the net against Manchester United. The Nigerian failed to complete either of his two attempted dribbles and managed just one touch inside Espanyol’s penalty area. His struggles in the final third are becoming increasingly concerning. 4
Lee Kang-in
Prior to being substituted, Kang-in had created more chances than any other Atlético player and was unfortunate not to register an assist after Jonathan David’s effort was brilliantly saved by Fortuño. Similar to Barrios, Simeone’s substitution patterns suggest that Kang-in may also be on a minutes management plan, having completed the full 90 minutes just once for Atlético, against Osasuna. 7
Jonathan David
David was unfortunate not to find the back of the net, with his best opportunity denied by a brilliant save from Fortuño. The Canadian recorded more touches inside Espanyol’s penalty area than any other Atlético player and consistently provided the Rojiblancos with a threat in front of goal. Unfortunately, the finishing touch just wasn’t there for David this afternoon. 6
Substitutes:
Julián Alvarez
Entered the match after the halftime break to replace Ademola Lookman. Delivered a great run thanks to some lovely build up play with Jonathan David but unfortunately Ángel Fortuno made a big save. Picked up the assist on Baena’s winner. 6
Alejandro Grimaldo
Introduced at halftime in place of Dani Martínez to provide a greater attacking threat down the left flank. The wonky pool table was at it again, as Grimaldo brought much-needed quality and creativity to Atlético’s left side, helping to balance out the attack and provide Los Colchoneros with another avenue going forward. 6
Marcos Llorente
Joined the action in the 55th minute for Barrios. Unlucky to hit the cross bar on his brilliant strike from outside the box in the 61st minute. Time after time he shows his quality and importance to Atleti. 6
Álex Baena
Scored the match-winner and came to Atlético’s rescue after replacing Kang-in in the 62nd minute. Baena’s incredible run of form continues, with the Spaniard now boasting 11 goal contributions in just 15 appearances, putting him well on pace to surpass his numbers from last season. 8
Rodrigo Mendoza
Came off the bench for Romero in the 68th minute. Good minutes from Mendoza as he’s continually trying to prove his worth to Diego Simeone. 6
