Antoine Griezmann continued his return to form with a neat finish in the third minute to ensure Atlético Madrid stayed within touching distance of league leaders Barcelona.
Diego Simeone made big changes to his starting XI from the midweek Champions League encounter with youngster Luciano Vietto tasked with leading the line alongside Griezmann. Óliver Torres, Saúl Ñíguez, José Giménez and Juanfran all also got a chance to return to first team action in what showcases a rich amount of depth at Simeone’s disposal.
And it was the home side that got off to the perfect start, showing real intensity in the opening minutes which led to a neat finish by Griezmann following a superb pass from Óliver.
Espanyol would finally threaten Atléti following Marco Asensio’s set piece delivery that reached Enzo Roco, however his header from the centre of the box was too high. Soon after, Asensio clashed with Tiago which saw the veteran midfielder pick up an injury, much to the concern of Simeone. The Portuguese midfielder tried to shake off the injury, but minutes later he had to make way after it was clear he was struggling. Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco was the man to replace him and Koke was shifted into the centre.
The injury would not stop Atléti creating chances going forward and nearly saw an unexpected goal from Juanfran, however the right-back could only strike wide of the target. Shortly after, both Koke and again Juanfran had great opportunities to extend Atléti’s lead but their efforts were wasted with the former narrowly missing and Juanfran’s effort comfortably saved by Pau.
The second half saw real intention and high intensity from Atléti within the opening minutes yet attempts from Diego Godín, Griezmann and Vietto were all unable to find the back of the net. Espanyol were under huge pressure from the home side and if not for youngster Pau, Óliver’s fine right-footed shot from outside the box would have sealed victory for Atléti.
Atléti would continue to look for a second goal and came close in the 79th minute following Carrasco’s cross that found Godín, only for his header to hit the right post. The Uruguayan would continue to dominate in the air and came close again yet could not hit the target.
Fernando Torres, Carrasco, Thomas Partey and Koke all attempted to grab a late goal, with the latter hitting the left-post. Much to the concern of Simeone, none could take advantage of their dominance in the final third and ended up with only Griezmann’s opening goal to their name.
The win sees Atléti remain four points adrift of league leaders Barcelona while Espanyol go down to 11th on the table.
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