Live Commentary: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Real Valladolid - as it happened

Atletico Madrid went top of La Liga after they beat Real Valladolid 3-0 at Vicente Calderon this afternoon.

Los Rojiblancos were 2-0 up inside of four minutes as Raul Garcia and Diego Costa gave Diego Simeone's side a superb start.

Diego Godin added a third in the second half after he headed in from a corner.

See how the action unfolded below.

4.52pmThat's all from me, I hope you have enjoyed the commentary, bye for now.

4.50pmWell that was a walk in the park for Atletico Madrid, goals from Raul Garcia, Diego Costa and Diego Godin are enough are they go top of La Liga. It wasn't the most impressive of displays, but Atleti were fully deserving of their win. They're right in the hunt this term.

4.47pmFULL TIME: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Real Valldolid

90+2 minsWell perhaps that encapsulates Valldolid's sturggles there a ball is clipped up to Manucho who wins it and knocks it on to the penalty spot but no one has the thought to attack the ball and no one is near the Angolan.

90 minsWell it might only be for a short while, but Atletico are going top in mid-February. They are a bona fide title rival to Real Madrid and Barcelona this season. Superb stuff from Los Rojiblancos to make light of their financial disadvantage.

87 minsWell Diego Simeone will be delighted with his side and the way they have gone about their work today. They haven't played particularly well really, but they have comfortably eased past a side to go to the top. A slip up with the incentive of going top could have been a problem but the home side have dismissed that theory here.

84 minsAtletico want a penalty as Diego Costa dances around a defender leaving Rukavina on his backside. The ball catches the hand but the referee says 'No'.

81 minsCHANCE! Godin sices it wide after a through ball from Diego Costa. That was a splendid pass from the striker. Another counter attack from Atletico.

78 minsThe game is dead and buried now, but Atleti will want to maintain focus. Goal difference could be a factor later on in the season.

78 minsSUB: Manucho is coming on for Valladolid while Jose Sosa comes on for Koke.

77 minsWell Milan won't fancy taking on Atleti next week. They haven't got out of first gear and lead 3-0, and with the Italians sturggling in Serie A, that will be a game that Clarence Seedorf won't relish.

75 minsSUB: David Villa come on for Arda Turan.

74 minsTextbook stuff, Godin meets the corner with a header and it sneaks in after he headed it down. Game well and truly over.

73 minsGOAL! Atletico Madrid 3-0 Real Valladolid (Diego Godin)

72 minsGabi does well to backheel it against Perez to win a corner on the far side.

70 minsGreat defending from Juanfran is he denies Larsson inside the area with a well-time tackle. It was Rossi who threaded the pass again.

69 minsCHANCE! Turan plays in Koke who tries to feed Mario Suarez with a backheel, but Valladolid get rid of it.

68 minsAs the seconds tick away it looks increasingly unlikely that Valladolid will muster a comeback here.

66 minsThis time the visitors get it clear. What a connection that header was from Suarez though, the cross bar was rattled by that.

65 minsCHANCE! Mario Suarez heads against the bar from the corner. Almost 3-0 another corner...

64 minsSUB:

62 minsValladolid get it clear, it comes back inside and Godin heads it harmlessly to Marino in the Valladolid goal.

62 minsDavid Villa even, excuse me. It's a corner for the home side first though...

61 minsGarcia feeds in Juanfran with a lovely ball in behind but he can't apply the cross. It's cut out for a corner. David Villa is preparing to come on.

60 minsAtleti playing on the counter attack almost here, they keep looking for Costa with balls in behind on the floot or over the top.

58 minsCosta with some lovely build-up play, it's strong and silky as he holds off a challenge before dribbling on under pressure. He gets it back on the edge of the box but the ball is poked away before he can make room for the shot.

55 minsCosta is denied by Valiente as he tries to lay in Godin on the counter, good defending from Valiente.

53 minsCHANCE! Guerra with Valladolid's best chance as he latches onto the long pass and connect with a volley. It goes just wide, but it was a great ball by Fausto Rossi.

52 minsCHANCE! Marino denies Godin as the defender rises highest and gets a firm head on the ball. Good save.

51 minsTuran and Koke with some nice interchanging passes and they win a corner...

49 minsCosta takes a tumble after going up for a header. He wins the free kick and Atletico continue forward until Koke is flagged offside.

46 minsDavid Villa is warming up, he may make his return sooner than I predicted.

45 minsKICK OFF And there we go. We're underway

4pmWe expect the second half to get underway in the next few minutes.

3.58pmJust looking at the replays of the goals here and Diego Marino will be disappointed with himself for the second goal, it was needless charge off his line which presented Diego Costa with the chance to calmly lift it over the keeper. The first caught everyone unaware as Garcia swept it in from the edge of the box from the the pass from the free kick.

3.56pmBack to this game and it is really difficult to see how the visitors can get back into this. Simeone will be tempted to ease David Villa back in at some point, expect the Spainard to feature some time after the hour mark.

3.54pmUPDATE: Just looking around the rest of Europe for a moment, Sunderland are into the quarter final of the FA Cup after 1-0 win against Southampton earlier this afternoon. Dortmund and Bayern Munich are both leading 3-0 in their respective games against Frankfurt and Freiburg, while Monaco are in action later this afternoon in Ligue 1. You can find all the latest live scores on the Sports Mole homepage of course.

3.51pmIt would have to be an extraordinary second period to stop Simeone's men going to the summit, but stranger things have happened in football.

3.49pmRaul Garcia opened the scoring after two minutes before Diego Costa doubled the lead two minutes later, and that was about it really in the first half. Diego Simeone's side haven't been threatened and they in control. Top spot beckons for Los Rojiblancos, surely...

3.47pmWell, after an explosive start the game calmed down, and Atletico played 40 minutes with more than one eye on their Champions League tie with AC Milan next week.

45 minsHALF TIME: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Valladolid

44 minsWe're approaching half time now, and it's been something of a training game for the home side.

41 minsLos Rojiblancos will be happy to see this half out as it stands you would think. Juanfran gets down the line, and cuts back to Turan, but his clipped cross can't reach Costa at the back post.

38 minsWell, not a whole lot to report at the minute. Atleti have eased up since their early goals, which is a smart tactic really. They're leaving plenty in reserve and it looks, so far at least, like they're going top.

34 minsGarcia tries to find Costa but runs into trouble in the shape of three defenders. He is harried out of it.

33 minsPena gets a cross in but Courtois gathers the high ball without any problems. Valladold have fought back slightly, but you get the feeling Atleti can add to their lead at any time.

31 minsAnother ball over the top for Costa to chase, he's very much second best for it, but he does enough to win a corner.

28 minsGlancing header from Mario Suarez hits the roof of the net from the free kick delivery. This time it's swung in more traditionally

26 minsNice build-up play between Costa and Raul Garcia, but Gabi smashes it well wide.

23 minsThey aren't the most thrilling team to watch in the world Atletico, but they are really effective and ruthless. Not a whole lot happening at the moment.

22 minsRaul Garcia is down in midfield at the moment. Looks like he caught a headbutt into the back of his own. He's up now, and play continues.

19 minsAnother inventive free kick sees Arda Turan receive it into feet inside the box, but his clip back is to no one on the penalty spot. It was good play from the winger though, someone should have anticipated that.

16 minsLittle bit better from the visitors as Guerra gets it in the box, but Alderweireld intercepts.

15 minsAnother ball for Diego Costa to chase from Gabi and he just can't quite catch it. The fans appreciate it though.

14 minsWell it's a return for Thibaut Courtois this afternoon, but the Belgian could sat on the bench with his teammates in truth. Valladolid haven't got out their own half as of yet.

13 minsWonderful play from Arda Turan as he dances away from three challenges down the line. He slides it across but the visitors scramble it clear. More goals in this for sure.

11 minsPace has slowed down somewhat, but that was to be expected. The Los Rojiblancos faithful are certainly enjoying this though, they're in full voice at Vicente Calderon.

8 minsIt comes to Costa on the edge of the box, and surprisingly he hammers high, wide and not very handsome.

7 minsThe pattern isn't changing, it's all Atleti. This could be four, five or six here this afternoon. Corner to the home side...

4 minsWell, what an unbelievable start this is. A long ball over the top for Costa to chase and the keeper is in a world of hurt as he lifts it over him from 20 yards with his left foot. Great finish but what was Marino doing? Well, game over?

4 minsAtletico 2-0 Valladolid (Diego Costa)

2 minsThe free kick comes in low and Raul Garcia sweeps it home from the edge of the box. Lovely finish from the midfielder. Great start.

2 minsGOAL! Atletico Madrid 1-0 Valladolid (Raul Garcia)

2 minsCosta is down injured here. He was elbowed going up for a header by Mitrovic I think it was.

1 minsYou have to fancy the home side this afternoon in front of their followers, let's see if it pans out like that. Costa wins an early header but it's not troubling the keeper.

0 minsKICK OFF And here we go...

2.59pmThe two teams are just running the formalities, pictures and the coin toss.

2.58pmThe two teams are out the tunnel, we're minutes away from kick off at Vicente Calderon

2.57pmThey would have to beat Atleti by three goals or more though and you get the feeling today's visitors would be delighted with a draw.

2.55pmValladolid have only won one of their last six games and have drawn their last two. They're currently 18th in the division, and a win today could take them out of the relegation zone.

2.52pmA win this afternoon though will take them top of La Liga. At least for a few hours until Barcelona host Almeria later this evening.

2.50pmDiego Simeone's also suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Almeria on February 8 so they 're having something of a wobble at the moment.

2.48pmAtletico's exit from the Copa del Rey was confirmed in midweek when local rivals Real Madrid inflicted a 2-0 defeat on their neighbours to complete a 5-0 aggregate.

2.45pmAny time you get to watch Atletico Madrid in action, it's a good day at the office, and they have got the stars out this afternoon with the likes of Koke, Raul Garcia and Diego Costa in the side.

2.43pmSo the big news for Diego Simeone's side is the return of Thibaut Courtois and David Villa. The goalkeeper comes right back into the starting XI, while the striker has to settle for a place on the bench. Still some stellar names in the lineup for Los Rojiblancos though...

2.41pmAlmeria subs: Jaime, Bergdich, Baraja, Sastre, Rama, Osorio, Manucho

2.40pmAtletico subs: Aranzubia, Miranda, Cebolla Rodriguez, Jose Sosa, Diego Ribas, Adrian, Villa

2.38pmValldolid: Marino; Rukavina, Valiente, Mitrovic, Pena; Rubio, Rossi; Larsson, V.Perez, Omar; Guerra

2.36pmAtletico: Courtois; Juanfran, Alderweireld, GodÃn, Insua; Gabi, Mario Suarez; Arda Turan, Koke, Raul Garcia; Diego Costa

2.34pmTeam news is in for today's game, so without further ado...

2.32pmGood afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of Atletico Madrid's clash with Real Valladolid in La Liga.