Atlético Madrid 1-0 Deportivo Alavés: Player Ratings

Jan Oblak (8): There was little that Oblak had to do against Alavés, as most of the opposition’s opportunities were blocked or off target.

Šime Vrsaljko (8.5): It’s been a strange old season for Vrsaljko, injured and frozen out to start but looking like the real deal when he’s gotten game time. He assisted the winner against Real Betis last week and did it again this week to cap a superior second half.

Stefan Savić (7): In the first half, there was not much for Savic to do, but he was booked for suggesting Munir went down too easily. This was a team-wide problem, but put the Montenegrin on thin ice for the rest of the match. Savic is very much a player that can put in a solid performance without looking particularly spectacular.

Diego Godín (7.5): As usual, Godín was a rock at the back, winning aerial duels and tackles with ease. At the start of the year there were questions about Godín’s level decreasing, but other than his pace, he is just as good as he has been for years. Long may it continue, because when he’s on his game, he’s one of the world’s best.

Filipe Luís (7.5): Commanding performance from the Brazilian, inspirational in attack and solid at the back. He succeeded with all four of his tackles and completed over 90 percent of his passes.

Thomas Partey (5.5): A day to forget in what has been a promising season for the Ghanaian, as he was withdrawn at halftime for Ángel Correa. Thomas was booked for one of the many challenges Atlético Madrid put in on Munir throughout the match. Thomas was a bit careless in possession and was dispossessed far more than he should have been.

Gabi (8): A vintage performance from Gabi, circulating the ball well and putting in a good challenge when needed. Gabi is still very important to the way Atlético play, but he hasn’t played as many minutes as he has in the past as Diego Simeone looks to the future. But if he can keep up this level of performance, he’ll continue to feature.

Koke: (8): Koke was on top of his game Saturday, operating as Atleti’s main creative force for much of the match. He had an early opportunity to score with a double scissor-kick but was denied by Pacheco.

Saúl Ñíguez (7): For the most part, Saúl was unable to get a hold of this match, getting just 49 touches in 70 minutes. He remains a sensational player, and as he showed against Betis last week, he can be a match winner. Perhaps importantly, he did get 20 minutes of rest, which is good as he’s played lots of minutes this season.

Kévin Gameiro (6): Another invisible performance. No shots, not involved much. The striker did have a few good runs early in the first half, but grew less and less involved as the match progressed.

Antoine Griezmann (7.5): By no means a commanding performance. Griezmann was not at the heart of what Atleti was doing, but did create some dangerous opportunities. He benefitted greatly from Correa’s entrance, which placed less onus on him to be the main man in attack.

Subs:

Ángel Correa (7.5): Correa got a good amount of minutes, coming on at the start of the second half for Thomas, and looking energetic and creative from the off. It seems when Correa is on the pitch, he can make things happen with an explosive run, but he has yet to consistently maintain end product. No shots, but some successful dribbles, and he got the hockey assist for the goal, feeding Vrsaljko who crossed in for Torres.

Fernando Torres (8.5 - MMOTM): The perfect performance for Fernando Torres, coming off the bench to score a crucial goal in a must-win game. The strike was bread and butter for a thoroughbred striker such as Torres, from just a few feet from the goal line. This is exactly what Atleti need from El Niño.

Yannick Carrasco (7): Carrasco did his thing, looking lively and getting by a very tired Alavés defense. He only recorded one shot, but it was on target, and maybe Carrasco can worm his way back into the first team with more appearances of this ilk. The Belgian has what very few Atleti players have in that he can get by almost anyone with his pace and skill. It’s strange how little he has played, but can hopefully have more of an impact in the new year.