Atletico Madrid got back into winning ways with an exceptionally comfortable 3-0 home win over poor Real Valladolid at the Vicente Calderon.
Diego Simeone’s title-chasing side would have been excused for coming into the game with nerves jangling after a run of three consecutive defeats. But they certainly didn’t show it as they raced into an early 2-0 lead through Raul Garcia and Diego Costa.
Atletico never looked back, adding a third goal through Uruguayan defender Diego Godin to provide a welcome boost in confidence ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to AC Milan.
The opener came after just twoand- a-half minutes when Costa won a free-kick towards the right corner of the box.
Rather than delivering a cross into the middle, captain Gabi played a clever square pass to meet a run by Garcia, who finished off the training ground routine to perfection with a swept shot past Diego Marino.
And Marino was picking the ball out of his net again less than two minutes later, playing a large part in his own downfall by senselessly charging to the edge of his area as Costa ran onto a long ball from Garcia, allowing Costa to easily lob him for his 21st league goal of the season.
The remainder of the first half was a drab affair as Atletico settled back onto the defensive, only threatening with a header onto the roof of the net from Mario Suarez, while Valladolid failed to muster any dangerous attacks.
The second half continued along similar lines, with Atletico coming close to a third when Gabi’s deep corner was met by a firm downward header from Godin, but this time Marino saved well.
Valladolid created their only real chance when Fausto Rossi’s chipped pass found Javi Guerra, but the striker volleyed well wide.
Suarez then hit the bar with a header from a corner, and the third goal eventually arrived from another corner as Diego’s delivery was met by Godin’s precise header into the bottom right corner.
The key for manager Simeone was of course the fast start his side had made which left the game effectively over inside five minutes.
“The key was the intensity that the players began with. Going 2-0 ahead allowed us to relax and once it went 3-0 even more so,” said Simeone.
However, the Argentine continued to play down his side’s chances of fighting for the title. “We continue to go minute by minute. We are happy to be top of the league until this evening, but there is still 14 games to go which is a lot.”
