Atletico Madrid moved level on points with second-place Barcelona in La Liga following a 3-1 win over Eibar on Saturday.
All three of Atletico's goals came in the first period, with Antoine Griezmann and a Mario Mandzukic double ensuring that the Spanish champions maintained their challenge at the top of the table.
Eibar, who scored a late consolation through Federico Piovaccari, remain eighth despite the disappointing defeat.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics
EIBAR
Shots: 11
On target: 3
Possession: 47%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 14
ATLETICO
Shots: 8
On target: 5
Possession: 53%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
Eibar will argue that their performance in the second period was such that they deserved something from the match, but the contest was over at the interval. Atletico did not have to do too much to move 3-0 ahead, with poor defending from the hosts handing the Spanish champions a three-goal lead after just 25 minutes. Eibar were much better in the second half, but that was more down to Atletico dropping their own levels in a bid to conserve energy for more pressing matters.
Piovaccari scored a consolation for Eibar late on, but chances in the second period were few and far between. The second half was a slight non-event after what occurred in the first 45 minutes. It would have been interesting to see how the match unfolded had Eibar started the contest as they played for much of the second period, but Atletico made the most of the gifts that they received. It was a professional performance from the visitors, who certainly deserved all the points.
Eibar's performance
Tipped to struggle this campaign, Eibar have surprised many. They entered the match in eighth and that is a position that they still occupy despite this defeat. The hosts were prepared to force the issue in the first period, but that proved their undoing as Atletico took the lead after just seven minutes. Conceding the first goal was not the end of the world, but Mandzukic registered twice in the space of three minutes to all but kill the match off.
The pitch was in terrible condition due to the weather, but Atletico appeared to deal with the conditions much, much better. It was not much of a surprise when head coach Gaizka Garitano made three changes at the break and matters did improve in the second period. Ander Capa and Javi Lara both provided more invention, but there was little end product in the final third. The statistics make decent reading for the hosts, with 11 attempts to Atletico's eight. Eibar have lost the match, but it is vital that they respond quickly in what is an important couple of months. Survival in the league is the name of the game.
Atletico's performance
Following their exertions against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Diego Simeone made a number of changes to his side, with the likes of Juanfran, Gabi, Miranda and Fernando Torres all left out of the XI. It made little difference in terms of the result, however, with Atletico ultimately proving far too strong. It was the type of match where the first goal was always going to be important, and when it came for Atletico, their confidence grew with each passing minute.
The visitors did not have to do too much to race into a three-goal lead, but they made use of the opportunities that they were presented courtesy of some poor defending. Griezmann netted his 11th goal of the season inside seven minutes, before Mandzukic continued his strong run of form with a brace. It might have been more in the latter stages of the half, but Saul Niguez and Raul Garcia were both denied. Despite the comfortable nature of the scoreline, Simeone will be unhappy with Eibar's late goal. Their defence has not been as watertight as previous seasons.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Mario Mandzukic: The Croatian continued his strong run in front of goal with a double in Eibar. Both goals were fairly routine, but they were vital to Atletico's comfortable win. The forward also completed 90 minutes, which has not been the case many times this season. He looked fitter and leaner than he has recently, which is bad news for Atletico's rivals in the second half of the season.
Biggest gaffe
Eibar's defending as a whole was extremely poor, especially in the first period, but Atletico's third goal really was terrible from the home side's point of view. Mandzukic had just made it 2-0, but instead of tightening up, Eibar made a series of defensive mistakes which led to the Croatian helping himself to a second. The state of the pitch did not help, but Mandzukic had the simple task of finding the bottom corner after the hosts failed to clear their lines. It just cannot happen at this level of football.
Referee performance
It was a busy 90 minutes for Pedro Perez due to the conditions and state of the pitch. Eibar were unhappy with Atletico's second goal as they felt that there had been a foul in the build-up, but Perez was not interested. Aside from that, there were no major incidents for the official, who issued six bookings in total. It has been a busy and somewhat controversial season for referees in Spain's top division, but Perez had a solid night's work.
What next?
Eibar: Next up for Eibar is a trip to Deportivo La Coruna on Friday.
Atletico: Next Saturday, Atletico welcome Real Madrid to the Vicente Calderon in a huge La Liga match.
Matt Law
