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Atlético Madrid 1-0 Levante: Player Ratings

Atlético are líderes after opening 2016 with a win over plucky Levante

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Jan Oblak, GK: 7

Made one save against a Levante side that offered little to no threat going forward. Another clean sheet.

Juanfran, RB: 7

Put his crosses in well and an absolute rock in defense. Made important clearances and owned the right flank. Typical Juanfran.

Diego Godín, CB: 8

Didn't put a foot wrong all night. Positioning spot-on as always, dealt comfortably with Nabil Ghilas and the Levante attack.

Stefan Savic, CB: 8

Savic was excellent on Saturday. The Montenegrin looked comfortable with the ball at his feet and was very reliable next to Godín; neither center-back was penalized for a foul on the night. Savic even hit the crossbar with a header late in the first half and was more of a threat on set pieces than Godín.

Filipe Luís, LB: 6

OK game for Filipe. Not sharp at all on his crosses but was fouled often and decent in defense. He clearly won the battle with Ivan López on his side, the Levante right-back was not very good.

Koke, LCM: 5

Rough, rough outing for Koke, and Diego Simeone knew it as he hooked him on the hour. His set-piece delivery was mostly poor, and while he ran hard and struck the bar just prior to his exit, he failed to exert much influence in midfield and was the weakest of the trio.

Saúl Ñíguez, CM: 7

Saúl did his job effectively Saturday, keeping things simple and making sure the ball was moving. He completed 93% of his passes and offered a good defensive performance too, stepping up to deny Levante's central midfield pairing of Verza and Jefferson Lerma.

Gabi, RCM: 7

Fresh off his suspension against Rayo Vallecano, Gabi put in a superb effort, tackling as well as he has all season and setting up Thomas' winner. He certainly made up for his set piece delivery, which was subpar.

Ángel Correa, FW: 5

Correa could not build off his match-winning cameo against Rayo. He moved well and caused problems at the heart of Levante's defense in the first half, but his effect soon waned and he was replaced before the hour.

Antoine Griezmann, FW: 5

Only one shot attempt for the Frenchman, who was perhaps too unselfish at times in his efforts to get Jackson Martínez on the scoresheet.

Jackson Martínez, FW: 6

Like Correa, Jackson tried but could not build off his midweek showing. On a positive note, he looks to be understanding Atlético's attacking structure and style more and more. Only took him until January.

Luciano Vietto, FW: 6

Came on for Correa in the 55th minute. A bit better from Vietto, who could have scored Atlético's second goal if he had been able to guide an outrageous back-heel flick to the far post.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, LM: 6

Came on for Koke in the 61st minute. The Belgian's pace always causes problems and the team looked more dangerous when he came on. However, his form is still not where it was six weeks ago.

Thomas Partey, RM: 8

Came on for Jackson in the 72nd minute. My, my, my. Thomas is the surprise of the season thus far, putting in splendid performances and rescuing points for Atlético despite not seeing the pitch until November. On Saturday, the Ghanaian played a one-two with Gabi before rampaging into the box (leaving three defenders in his wake) and scoring the winner 10 minutes from time, as Levante keeper Diego Mariño could not secure the low shot and watched it roll into the net. Thanks to Thomas - and a stroke of luck - Atleti are top of La Liga on 41 points, two more than Barcelona in one more game.