Atlético Madrid 2-0 Getafe: Player Ratings

Jan Oblak (8): For long periods of the match Oblak did not have a lot to do, but as usual, when called upon he was ready. Getafe pushed for their goals primarily after Diego Costa was sent off, and the Slovene looked calm as ever between the sticks.

Šime Vrsaljko (8): Vrsaljko has reemerged as a very important player for Atlético Madrid since his return to the starting XI. His passing from the wide positions has been excellent and he’s provided three assists in the last four leage games. On Saturday, his searching cross rather fortunately found Costa, who made no mistake.

Diego Godín (7.5): Another unsurprisingly good performance from Godín. The Uruguayan veteran is the model for consistency and has yet to truly look like he has lost a step in overall quality. His passing and overall defending was good, and he was rarely called into action to make tackles.

Stefan Savić (7): Savic too has looked solid in recent weeks and did well again Saturday. He was not forced into any extremely dangerous situations (which is for the best) and handled his defensive actions well.

Lucas Hernández (7.5): Despite not playing at his preferred location, Lucas looked better on the left side of defense than he had in recent memory. He did well to complete three dribbles, as well as four tackles. From that sense, it was a complete performance on the left, though he will be annoyed with being dispossessed twice.

Yannick Carrasco (7): It was one of those days for Carrasco, as he led the team in successful dribbles but could create no shots for himself. It was a good sign he is at last getting starts in LaLiga, and hopefully he can build on this form because he is such a good player. This was not the sort of match Carrasco thrives in, as Getafe do try to kick their way to victory, which is not to the Belgian’s benefit.

Gabi (7): Saturday was a good, if unspectacular performance from Gabi, as he did what he usually does without ever being that involved. Playing with Costa will do Gabi some good, as he will be able to provide long passes for the striker which could create good opportunities.

Koke (8): It may fly under the radar, but this was one of Koke’s better performances of the season — undoubtedly because he was in a system that served him better. He completed more passes than anyone else on the pitch, and chipped in with five tackles as well. The only downside was being dispossessed three times, but other than that, Koke was very influential in the center of the park.

Ángel Correa (8.5): Correa scored a fantastic goal with the outside of his boot after a simple pass from Antoine Griezmann. It’s been a while since we have seen the best of Correa, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come, especially with another high-quality attacker joining him up top.

Antoine Griezmann (8): Today LaLiga witnessed the start of the Costiezmann partnership, and early returns are encouraging. Griezmann notched an assist for Correa, but overall looked like he benefitted from no longer being the focal point of the attack. By having a strong, central striker to make runs off, Griezmann can better express himself.

Diego Costa (9 – MMOTM): Yes, Costa got sent off for celebrating with the fans, but I can hardly dock him a rating for that. He looks incredibly fit and deadly in front of goal. In two games he’s scored two goals, the type of which Atlético have not scored all season. Long may it continue. The sneaky not bad thing about his sending off is Atleti’s next domestic match is the Lleida second leg, which is essentially a formality.

Subs

Thomas (7): Did a fine job after coming on, as he was on to mostly ensure the result. Thomas showed good passing, but was not really on long enough to make a massive impact on the match.

Fernando Torres (N/A): Neither Torres nor Giménez were on long enough to earn a rating. Just as well, because the game situation they found themselves in was not ideal.

José Giménez (N/A): Same as Torres. Did not do anything wrong, because there was not time to do anything.