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Atletico Madrid cruised to a comfortable 3-0 away win over Valencia on Saturday, provisionally taking top spot in La Liga. Julian Alvarez’s first-half brace and Angel Correa’s late strike sealed the victory, ending Valencia’s three-game winning home run.
Alvarez opened the scoring in the 12th minute, striking a rebound into the top corner after Antoine Griezmann’s effort hit the crossbar. The Argentine forward doubled his tally and Atletico’s lead on the half-hour mark, heading in Griezmann’s cross at the back post. Alvarez could have even had a hat-trick before half-time, but for some great goalkeeping by Giorgi Mamardashvili, who rushed out while one-on-one to unnerve him as he put his shot wide.
Valencia struggled to create chances in the first half, with Umar Sadiq missing their best opportunity as he headed wide from a promising position after meeting a free-kick. Despite taking a pounding in the first half, Valencia came out strong in the second, with substitutes Hugo Duro and Andre Almeida coming close to scoring.
Duro glanced his header just wide at the back post after connecting with Jose Gaya’s cross, while Almeida hit Sadiq’s lay-off powerfully first-time towards the bottom corner, but the ball flashed inches wide of the post. However, Atletico’s defense held firm, and they sealed the win with a late counter-attack.
Substitute Angel Correa was fed through and produced a clinical finish into the bottom corner, ensuring Atletico would return to Madrid with a convincing victory. The win takes Atletico to the top of the LaLiga standings on 53 points, two ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid, who both have a game in hand.
Valencia, meanwhile, remains in the relegation zone with 23 points, increasing their chances of a first demotion since 1986. Diego Simeone’s side avoided successive away league losses to Valencia for the first time in his era and emerged victorious for just the second time in six La Liga outings.
The victory further proof a major statement of intent from Atletico, who have been battling inconsistency in recent weeks. With the win, they not only took top spot but also avoided a slump in form to stay firmly in the title race.
