The first half of a highly anticipated Madrid derby produced little goalmouth action, with neither goalkeeper having much to do until Thibaut Courtois was forced to push away Lee Kang-in’s whipped ball towards the far post.
Regardless, there was still plenty to keep the fans entertained, as fierce challenges flew in, with neither side – not least an Atletico outfit seeking only a third win in 12 club H2Hs against Jose Mourinho – willing to give an inch.
Amongst those ‘fierce’ personal battles was an old-school 50-50 between Jude Bellingham and Cristian Romero, which initially saw the former receive a yellow card.
But VAR would take centre stage yet again, and Madrid derby debutant Romero then had a nervous wait for a possible red, though it would ultimately be only a yellow card, which was switched to him from Bellingham after the initial decision.
Lee then avoided a red for a much more dangerous-looking challenge than Romero’s, freshly riling up a Real Madrid side looking to win three consecutive derbies for the first time since December 2020.
But that soon changed after the restart, when Real Madrid’s simmering frustrations were exacerbated greatly by a professional foul dismissal for Dean Huijsen, after he pulled back Giuliano Simeone early in the second period.
The red card was a VAR decision after the initial penalty award, and despite Courtois cutting an imposing figure, he failed to intimidate Alejandro Grimaldo, who calmly slotted home from the spot for the second time in three games.
With the visitors on the ropes, Jonathan David quickly grabbed the all-important second goal to effectively seal the win before the hour mark, sliding the ball in from Simeone’s driven cross to become the first Atleti player in the 21st century to score in each of his first three LaLiga games.
Diego Simeone’s side hit cruise control until the towering Antonio Rudiger headed in from Bernardo Silva’s inviting free-kick to set up a nervy finish.
Despite the inevitable nerves and whistles from the crowd, Atleti pushed themselves over the line to climb into second spot and send Los Blancos down to third after their second defeat of the campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid)