Atlético Madrid climbed to the top of LaLiga, at least for the time being, after securing a commanding 3-0 victory over struggling Valencia on Saturday.
Julián Álvarez delivered a clinical first-half brace, while Ángel Correa added a late goal off the bench to cap off a dominant performance for Diego Simeone’s side.
Their triumph momentarily placed them at the summit of the league, but Barcelona had the chance to reclaim the top spot with a victory over Las Palmas later in the day.
Former Manchester City star, Álvarez opened the scoring in the 12th minute, capitalizing on a rebound to put Atleti ahead. He then doubled the lead on the half-hour mark, meeting an Antoine Griezmann cross with a well-placed header.
Despite easing off in the second half, Atlético remained in control and sealed the win in the 86th minute.
A swift counter-attack saw substitute Conor Gallagher set up Correa, who made no mistake in front of goal. Gallagher made a notable impact off the bench, creating a team-high three chances and completing nine of his 10 passes in the final third.
Valencia, sitting third from bottom in LaLiga, registered 18 shots to Atlético’s 11, with captain José Gayà crafting a game-high five chances.
However, their lack of precision in front of goal proved costly, only two of their efforts hit the target. Despite their numerical advantage in attempts, Atlético’s opportunities were of higher quality, as reflected in their superior expected goals (xG) tally of 1.28 compared to Valencia’s 0.91.
Álvarez, who had also scored in Atleti’s 3-0 win over Valencia in September, was once again the standout performer.
His goal-scoring streak in away matches continued, having also found the net against Real Madrid in their previous trip.
With LaLiga’s title race heating up, Atlético ensured they did not relinquish any ground to their rivals, keeping the pressure firmly on.
