Atletico Madrid reclaimed a top-four spot on Saturday evening with a narrow 1-0 victory over mid-table Granada, thanks to an early strike from forward Angel Correa.
Atleti took the lead after just six minutes, when the hosts robbed their opponents of possession on the edge of the box, and Correa calmly tucked the ball home for Diego Simeone’s side. Los Colchoneros then thought they had doubled their lead soon after, but the goal was quickly ruled out for a clear offside infringement.
Simeone’s men continued to dominate proceedings, and Vitolo missed an excellent chance to extend the lead, firing just wide for the rampant Rojiblancos. The hosts ended the first half as the stronger side, and their coach would have been disappointed to have only gone into the break with a one-goal advantage.
Getafe goalkeeper Aaron Escandell was called into action early in the second half, when he kept out Saul Niguez’s strike from a Correa cross. Yannick Carrasco entered the field on the hour mark, and he almost got his first goal since returning to the Spanish capital, but Escandell was up to the challenge once more.
Atleti continued to pin back their opponents, but shot-stopper Jan Oblak was suddenly required to make a smart save with 20 minutes left to play, as Atleti begin to close out the match in typical Simeone fashion.
The Spanish giants dominated possession throughout the match, and they saw out the final minutes very professionally, restricting their visitors to very few shots. The final whistle came as a relief to Atleti ears, who returned to winning ways after three disappointing league results.
The victory means that Atleti climb back into the top four of the table on Saturday evening, leapfrogging Sevilla and closing the gap to third-place Getafe to three points. Simeone’s side sit ten points behind leaders Real Madrid, who have a game in hand on their city rivals.