Atlético, with Diego Simeone recently renewed, won at the Metropolitano in a very complicated match against a Villarreal with provisional coach, Miguel Ángel Tena. The Submarine had just left Pacheta and is waiting for Marcelino.
Atlético did not have it easy. Villarreal took the lead in the twentieth minute with a shot by Sorloth that Oblak rejected and Gerard Moreno hammered home. Villarreal could have scored more goals on the counterattack but Oblak grew big to thwart the visitors' chances again and again, especially with a great save for Sorloth, who would later be injured.
Atlético tied in the first half's added time thanks to a pass to the far post by Griezmann and a shot by Witsel anticipating Alberto Moreno. The goal was key because in the second half Villareal was not the same.
The second act began with Marcos Llorente instead of Saúl. Atlético pressed very firmly at the start and had clear chances very close with Morata and Riquelme, neither of whom were precise in the shot. After the storm, Villarreal balanced the game somewhat from the middle of the second act, but it was temporary.
Simeone gave new impetus to his team with the changes. He gave way to Ángel Correa and Samuel Lino for De Paul and Riquelme. Then, youth player Pablo Barrios came in, who with Riquelme as the starter has lost some of his stature.
In the 79th minute, Atlético's goal came from a Marcos Llorente cross that was poorly defended by Villarreal and allowed a shot almost over Griezmann's line, his eighth goal in this League. A new goal would still arrive in the 85th minute for the colchoneros and a counterattack by Barrios that ended in a pass to Lino and a lethal shot by the Brazilian that certified the 3-1. Atlético has six consecutive victories in its stadium, which it has turned into a fortress.
