Atlético Madrid 2-Valladolid 0 | Lemar and Llorente launch Atlético to the leadership

Atlético adds and continues this time with Lemar and Marcos Llorente as protagonists. The Madrid team did not play a good first half but reacted after the break, where Lemar scored after 46 games without doing so and in which Marcos Llorente scored again. Valladolid resisted, although when they conceded the first goal they disappeared. Until then, very good. Atlético faces its big week (Salzburg and Real Madrid) very plugged.

Valladolid did not flinch in the first half. Quite the opposite. Within half an hour the Pucelano team had shot more times at goal than Atlético. It is true that without danger. But the idea and the disposition of Sergio's team was very clear: nothing to wait behind Atlético waiting for some loose action from set pieces or something like that. With Alcaraz and Roque Mesa managing the game, Atlético knew from the start that it would not be easy. Simeone left Koke out of the team, perhaps thinking about the derby against Madrid, since the captain was warned. The rotations affected in this case João Féilx and Marcos Llorente. Salzburg awaits Wednesday. With all this, Correa and Luis Suárez formed in front, with Lemar behind, helped by the bands by Trippier and Vitolo.

The game was atypical, rare, with comings and goings to different areas. Neither Masip nor Oblak had to make worthwhile stops but they were entertaining, intense minutes, where no one could get lost for a second. Atlético did not have the necessary spark to defeat Valladolid's good defensive approach, with Bruno very attentive to Luis Suárez. The rival defense did not give him the option to try any shot.

Atlético, with Correa as the most destabilizing, had hardly any gaps to pose problems for their rival. Lemar searched for the ball, but found no one. Valladolid moved from three quarters of the field forward at the pace set by Jota, with good technical details, although insufficient to create problems for the three rojiblancos centrals. The 0-0 break did justice to what was happening at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Simeone retired Vitolo at half-time and put Marcos Llorente in, so Atlético already played with a classic 4-4-2, with Llorente as right inside and Lemar on the left. Trippier avoided the 0-1 shortly after starting by getting in the way of Marcos André's point-blank shot. Atlético almost miraculously got rid of both and Valladolid ended up regretting it. Because in one of the few plays in which the rojiblanco team found spaces, it was 1-0, the work of Lemar.

Marcos Llorente enabled Trippier, who crossed low, Luis Suárez did not arrive, but Lemar did, who scored at the far post. The Frenchman celebrated after 46 rojiblanco matches without doing so and Cholo seems to have recovered him for the cause. The play mixed speed, precision and auction. It seemed easy but the French barely had room to score. Moments later, Koke and João Félix entered. Valladolid found themselves behind almost undeservedly, they had a clear chance and they failed. Atlético did take advantage of theirs.

The game was already another, with an Atlético controlling the situation. Trippier attended again, this time with a header, for Marcos Llorente to make it 2-0. Good goal, full of speed and good definition. The positive for Simeone is that he has a large squad, with all the players very toned. The Atleti sleeps leader.