A late strike by substitute Thomas Partey lifted Diego Simeone’s side to top of the table after Barcelona were held to a 0-0 draw in their derby against Espanyol earlier in the day.
Atléti continued their poor accuracy in front of goal by wasting a host of chances throughout the match, however, their efforts would not go in vain, with unlikely hero Partey scoring late on to take the three points and move the home side two points ahead of the Catalan giants.
Simeone made changes to his side following their hard fought victory against Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, giving both Jackson Martínez and Ángel Correa who had impressive appearances off the bench, a place among the starting XI. Captain Gabi returned in the heart of midfield following his one match suspension and Stefan Savić and Filipe Luís were also called up into first team action.
The home side got the better start to the match with youngster Saúl Ñíguez coming close in the second minute following a corner kick by Koke, however, the Spanish midfielder could only see his header narrowly miss to the left. Soon after, both Correa and Martínez linked-up well, yet the Colombian’s effort was well saved Diego Mariño.
A host of fouls from both sides slowed any tempo down, but the game would come alive in the 28th minute when again Koke’s pinpoint cross following a corner found the head of Savić, whose attempt from a difficult angle hit the bar. It woke up Levante, who seconds later had their first effort with Verza only just missing.
Atléti would continue to threaten with a handful of chances and again saw an effort hit the crossbar. Martínez played in Koke who fired in a shot from outside the box that was denied by the top right corner post.
Simeone decided to make changes in an attempt at finding the crucial goal and it worked to fruition with Partey who replaced the ineffective Martínez, beating Mariño and netting his second goal for the Rojiblancos in the 81st minute.
The win sees Atléti leap over Barcelona into first place, two points ahead their rivals, but the current La Liga champions do still have a game in hand. Levante, on the other hand, still languish in last place and slipping away from safety.
Jackson Martínez is running out of time
Every time it looks like Martínez is over his horrid run of form, he follows up with another lacklustre performance. While he was unlucky to not see his effort go in the back of the net or an assist to his name following Koke’s effort, the Colombian was brought in for his proficiency and so far he has continued to not deliver. This fixture against Levante was Partey’s second goal for Atléti, one less than the total the 29-year-old has scored since his arrival in the summer.
The Colombian’s hefty price tag and goal scoring records while at Porto has disappointingly not been replicated. With one match to go until the halfway mark of the season, Martínez is losing supporters and could see a similar fate as what happened to Mario Mandžukić.
Partey another future midfield prospect
The Ghanaian youngster, who has come up through Atléti’s youth system, was the man to make the difference in this tough fixture. Eight minutes after entering the pitch and replacing the ineffective Martínez, the central-midfielder surged into the box and fired underneath Mariño that found the back of the net, handing the side top spot midpoint into the season.
With fellow midfield youngsters Koke, Saúl, Óliver Torres and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, the inclusion of Partey shows an increasing belief of a bright future for Atléti in the midfield department. Each youngster has been impressive this season and have all contributed to a season that has seen the Rojiblancos compete against a Barcelona side that at times looks unstoppable. The future is bright for Simeone’s young squad.
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Atléti’s never say die attitude could see a return of a triumph of league glory
For the second game in a row, Simeone’s men won at the dying moments of the game. On top of that, it was the manner in which Atléti played. The Madrid-based club have had similar games as this one against Levante throughout the season, where for long periods of the game the Rojiblancos have continuously threatened and created chances, yet were still not be able to find the back of the net, only to dramatically score late on to clinch the three points.
While they have been disappointing with their shooting accuracy, particularly their strikers, Simeone’s men have replicated the never say die attitude the former Argentinean midfielder was well known for. This, along with some favourable results, have seen Atléti reach the top of the table during the New Year period. They might not contain the goal scoring threats of Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez, however, if they can continue to fight until the end as they currently are, they have a good chance of capturing the league title come May.
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