Atlético Madrid make it four league wins in a row, beating 10-man Alavés 1-2

Atlético Madrid beat Alavés 1-2 at Mendizorroza on Saturday, a match they led, were pegged back in and then won late against an opponent who had been down to ten men for almost half an hour. Alejandro Grimaldo put Atlético ahead in the 33rd minute, assisted by Jonathan David, before Lucas Boyé's stoppage-time penalty levelled it just before the break. Hidalgo was sent off for Alavés in the 61st minute, and Cristian Romero made the extra man count with the winner in the 87th, turning in a cross from Álex Baena.

Atlético did most of the attacking even before the red card: 69% possession to Alavés's 31%, 18 shots to 8, and 10 shots on target to 4, with an expected-goals reading of 1.24 to 1.17 that was closer than the balance of play suggested. Hidalgo's dismissal — for serious foul play — turned a contest Atlético were already dominating into one Alavés had to survive with ten men for the final half-hour, and they managed it for 26 of those minutes before Romero's header found a way through.

Match facts

1. 33' — Alejandro Grimaldo puts Atlético Madrid ahead, assisted by Jonathan David
2. 45+5' — Lucas Boyé equalises for Alavés from the penalty spot
3. 61' — Hidalgo is sent off for Alavés
4. 87' — Cristian Romero scores the winner, assisted by Álex Baena

Match stats

A fourth straight league win

The result extends Atlético Madrid's winning run in LaLiga to four matches. After a 0-3 defeat at Athletic Club in matchday 5, Diego Simeone's side beat Real Sociedad 3-0, Osasuna 4-0 and city rivals Real Madrid 2-1 in the derby — and now Alavés away, their toughest of the four on the balance of the match, given the equaliser and the one-goal margin at the end. Across those four wins Atlético have scored eleven goals and conceded just two.

Alavés' cooling form

For Alavés, Saturday continues a run that has gone the other way. After winning three of their first four league matches, including a 5-2 win over Osasuna on matchday 4, they had taken only one point from their next three — a 1-2 defeat at Racing Santander, a 0-1 home loss to Valencia and a goalless draw away at Athletic Club — before Saturday's defeat made it one win in six.

Where it leaves both sides

Atlético Madrid had entered the round second on 16 points from seven matches, five behind leaders Barcelona and level with Real Betis in third. Alavés had been sixth on 11 points, inside the top half and in European qualification contention on paper, though Saturday's defeat is their third in their last four matches and a reminder of how congested the mid-table picture is behind Barcelona's unbeaten run at the top.