Atletico Madrid 2 Getafe 0: Griezmann, Saul seal derby victory

Atletico Madrid made comfortable work of beating Getafe on Saturday to move to within two points of LaLiga leader Barcelona.

Antoine Griezmann celebrates against Getafe

Atletico Madrid made it three consecutive wins in LaLiga with a 2-0 defeat of Getafe at the Wanda Metropolitano.

First-half strikes from Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez sealed the points for Diego Simeone's side on Saturday to keep the pressure on league leader Barcelona, as Getafe ended the match with nine men.

Atleti has never been beaten or even conceded a goal against its neighbour in Simeone's seven years in charge, and another positive result appeared inevitable once Griezmann broke the deadlock with his side's first shot of the match in the 27th minute.

Saul pounced to score a second before the break, which proved enough for Atleti, although a relatively comfortable outing was spoiled by the loss of Diego Godin to a thigh problem.

Only Atleti boast a better defensive record than Getafe in LaLiga this season, and the visitor kept Simeone's side comfortably at bay until shortly before the half hour, when Griezmann collected Thomas Partey's pass and rifled home his 10th league goal of the season from just inside the box.

 

David Soria saved Atleti's next shot on target, Nikola Kalinic shooting straight at the keeper after a fine move involving Thomas and Lucas Hernandez, but Saul reacted quickest to sweep home the rebound and double the lead.

Getafe applied some pressure after the break without managing to trouble Jan Oblak, and Atleti youngster Victor Mollejo, on as a substitute for Kalinic, blasted narrowly over the bar within moments of his introduction.

Oblak made a good save to deny Samu Saiz, while Rodrigo made a mess of a late one-on-one, before Djene Dakonam and Leandro Cabrera were sent off in the dying minutes for earning second yellow cards.

What does it mean? Pressure back on Barca in title race

Atletico's win, its 12th of the season in LaLiga, sees it close to within two points of leader Barcelona, having played a game more.

 

Ernesto Valverde's side will know they cannot afford many slip-ups as long as Atleti's form persists, making Sunday's trip to neighbour Girona a potentially key encounter.

Getafe remains sixth in the table, but will drop below Real Betis if Quique Setien's side beat Athletic Bilbao.

Thomas keeps Atleti ticking

Thomas is not often lauded for his playmaking abilities, but his impact on both goals showed just how creative he can be at the heart of midfield.

A day to forget for Djene

Having lost Griezmann for the opening goal, Djene compounded a fairly miserable outing with a careless foul on Thomas Lemar in the 88th minute that earned him a second booking.

Key Opta facts: - Atletico Madrid has kept a clean sheet in each of its past 13 LaLiga games against Getafe (W12 D1), the best run of any side against a single opponent in the top-flight. - Griezmann is one of the two players to have scored 10+ goals in each of the previous seven LaLiga seasons. Lionel Messi is the other. - Atletico is now unbeaten in 18 LaLiga matches (W11 D7), the current best run of any side in the competition. - Saul scored his first goal in LaLiga this season with his 28th shot. Previously, he was the player with the most shots without scoring in the division. - Only Liverpool’s Alisson (13) has kept more clean sheets than Atletico’s Jan Oblak (11, the same as Inter’s Samir Handanovic) in Europe’s top five leagues this term. - Two Getafe players have been sent off in a LaLiga game for the first time since April 2013 against Espanyol.

 

What's next?

Atleti faces a difficult trip to Real Betis next Sunday, six days before the Madrid derby at the Wanda Metropolitano. Getafe meets Valencia in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday before resuming league duties at Levante four days later.