Atletico Madrid 3-1 Real Madrid: What Were The Key Talking Points As Los Colchoneros Storm Their Way To Madrid Bragging Rights?

In what was a thrilling derby battle from the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday night, Atletico Madrid cruised their way to local bragging rights as they claimed a 3-1 romp against Los Blancos.

Flying out of the traps here, Diego Simeone’s men took just four minutes to open the scoring as ex-Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata glanced home with a smart header past the helpless Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Sending the home support into overdrive, Atletico didn’t have to wait long to double their advantage as Antoine Griezmann notched his second La Liga strike of the season on the 18th-minute mark.

While veteran midfielder Toni Kroos might have halved the deficit 10 minutes before the half-time break thanks to a sublime driven effort from the edge of the box, Carlo Ancelotti’s side failed to find any fluffily after returning from the interval.

Caught sleeping once again from kick-off and with Morata grabbing his second of the night just moments after getting the second-half underway, Atletico put in a rugged performance as were a more than worthy winner here.

With Real Madrid watching their 100% start come to an abrupt end here, Los Blancos also missed out of the chance to climb back to the top of the La Liga standings.

In what was another pulsating Madrid derby on Sunday night, we have taken a glance at the main talking points from the Metropolitano.

A famous night for Atletico

While Atletico might have marked their return from September’s international break with a shock 3-0 drumming at the hands of Valencia, Sunday’s hosts have certainly come roaring back in some style.

Putting in a rampant performance here and dominating their bitter local rivals from the opening whistle, Simeone’s high-flying squad will now have their sights set on mounting a genuine title charge this time around.

Although Sunday’s 3-1 victory might be just the second La Liga win that Atletico have collected from their previous 15 showdowns against Los Blancos, they have handed themselves a perfect platform to build on.

Laying down what was a heavyweight marker here, Simeone’s side have also continued to gain a fearsome reputation for their remarkable domestic purple patch at the Metropolitano.

Including another 3-1 win against Granada back on August 14th, Atletico have now won each of their last 11 straight La Liga showdowns in front of their own supporters – a run that stems all the way back to the start of February.

Los Blancos come crashing back down to earth

Arriving at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday night as they only La Liga outfit that could boast a 100% start to the new campaign, Real Madrid would have been desperate to lay down another marker here.

However, despite opening their Champions League adventure with a last-gasp 1-0 victory at home against Union Berlin earlier in the week, Los Blancos failed to find any kind of fluidity across the capital.

Falling 2-0 down in the opening 18 minutes and not deserving of anything here, Ancelotti’s side were second-best across the pitch and will know that they face some scrutiny over the coming days.

While Sunday’s 3-1 loss at the Metropolitano might be Real’s first La Liga defeat of the season, the former Spanish champions can’t be fully reliant on Jude Bellingham to drag them across the finish line.

Although the England international might have made a record-breaking immediate impact since completing his £100million move from Borussia Dortmund this summer, the 20-year-old is still waiting for his superstar teammates to help carry the burden.

Morata comes back to haunt his former club

While it might have appeared for long spells of the summer that Morata would be on his way out of the Spanish capital, the one-time Chelsea misfit has only continued on a real flurry since opening the new campaign.

Rightfully receiving a string of plaudits following Sunday’s Man of the Match display, Simeone has made it abundantly clear that the Spanish international has a crucial role to play across all formats this season.

Bagging a pair of early strikes on either side of the half-time break and causing Los Blancos a string of problems here, the 30-year-old has now notched five La Liga strikes in as many appearances so far.

Clearly relishing his role since being appointed La Roja’s new permanent skipper back in March, Morata has also formed an eye-catching partnership alongside French superstar and World Cup winner Griezmann.

Along with Morata firing on all cylinders and continuing on from where he left off prior to the summer interval, Atletico would have also been excited to see Memphis Depay make a brief second-half cameo appearance here.

Match Report

Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Molina, Savic, Gimenez, Hermoso, Lino, Llorente, Koke, Saul, Morata, Greizmann

Subs: Azpilicueta, Depay, Witsel, Correa

Real Madrid: Kepa, Vazquez, Rudiger, Alaba, Garcia, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Bellingham, Rodrygo

Subs: Joselu, Mendy, Diaz, Nacho, Tchouameni

Goals: Atletico Madrid: Morata (4’, 46’), Griezmann (18’) – Real Madrid: Kroos (35’)

Yellow Cards: Atletico Madrid: Gimenez – Real Madrid: Mendy, Modric, Bellingham

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas