Atlético Madrid 1-2 Sevilla: Copa del Rey player ratings

Miguel Ángel Moyá (3): It’s difficult being the backup for Europe’s best keeper, but Moyá generally does a good job when called upon. That said, in the second half of this game the wheels came off, as he scored an own goal via a deflected cross and did poorly to let in the winning goal.

Juanfran (6): Juanfran looked better after a longer break out of the squad due to Šime Vrsaljko’s resurgence. Defensively he was caught lacking a couple of times, but he provided some excellent crosses. He was, unfortunately, caught out for the second Sevilla, along with Moyá and Stefan Savić.

Diego Godín (7): Had an alright day, very little for him to do in the first half but looked solid when called upon. Not much he could have done for the winner — he was out of position, but it also was not his area of the pitch to cover.

Stefan Savic (5.5): Solid enough in the first half, but reverted to type in the second half as he seemed to lose concentration. It is past time that Diego Simeone realized both Lucas and José Giménez are better center backs and should be played ahead of Savic at every opportunity.

Lucas Hernández (6): Lucas looked strong containing Pablo Sarabia in the first half and did well to advance up the pitch on several occasions. One of Atlético Madrid’s best chances was supplied from a free kick that Lucas headed into the direction of Diego Costa, who was denied by Sergio Rico. However, Lucas deflected the cross that yielded the equalizer, so he must share some of the responsibility for that goal.

Gabi (7.5): Probably Atlético’s best midfielder on the day, was solid throughout the match. And while Koke, Saúl and Ángel Correa jogged back to defend the equalizer, Gabi was sprinting back to the box to defend. Legend.

Saúl (6.5): Saúl struggled to be involved, and when he was, he struggled to pass the ball and gave away some silly fouls. He definitely needs to step up in the second leg to give Atleti have any chance to progress.

Koke (6): Overall a very poor performance from Koke. He did show his class by providing some great passes on occasion, but labored through 80-plus uninspiring minutes. He probably should have been taken off instead of Vitolo.

Vitolo (7.5): Today was Vitolo’s first big test in red and white, as he interchanged on the wings with Koke throughout the match. Where he excelled was getting into channels and trying to make things happen in the box, though many did not come off. Withdrawn at halftime for Ángel Correa.

Antoine Griezmann (7): A very meh performance from Griezmann, as he struggled to get any sort of coherent attacks going, and also struggled to link up effectively with Diego Costa. Surely Costa’s suspension hurt this, but the two need more time to fully develop their partnership, and that was clearly on show today.

Diego Costa (8.5): Costa scored his third goal in four games since his return, providing a very strong presence leading the line. He’s a strong target man who registered several headers on target, too. Costa was denied a goal in the first half for a mystery foul, and Sergio Rico got him twice more. But his slick left-footed finish inside the penalty area put Atleti into the lead on 73 minutes.

Subs:

Ángel Correa (4.5): Not really sure what the point of bringing Correa on at halftime was. The team did not seem like it needed his influence out of all the possible substitutes. Was rarely involved and has struggled so far in 2018 — this will not help his bid for consistent starting time.

Yannick Carrasco (5): Equally unimpressive. Carrasco probably should have started this match and would have complemented Vitolo much more than Koke did. He should most certainly start in Seville as Atlético will need as much attacking impetus as they can get.

Fernando Torres (N/A): It would not be fair to give Torres a grade, but he could not come up with the goods in the way Simeone was hoping, especially following the first goal. Torres may have sapped some of the creativity in the side by replacing Koke, too.