Levante 0-2 Atletico Madrid: Clinical Atleti storm to La Liga summit

Travelling to Levante's Estadi Ciutat de València for Matchday 11 of La Liga, Atletico Madrid were determined to secure all three points to pile pressure on the league leaders. Diego Simeone's trademark pragmatism shone through once again as they secured a convincing 2-0 victory.

Despite having two goals ruled out by VAR and Lee Kang-in striking the woodwork, Atletico still found a way to kill off the game. Alejandro Grimaldo broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with a thunderbolt into the top corner, before Giuliano Simeone showed immense strength and composure to seal the points in the 62nd minute. Here is how the action unfolded.

Grimaldo breaks the deadlock as Atletico Madrid take control

From the first whistle, Levante pressed high and almost caught the visitors cold in the 11th minute when Dani Requena's stinging effort forced a brilliant diving save from Jan Oblak. Just five minutes later, Atletico Madrid responded in kind as Morten Hjulmand found the back of the net, only for VAR to intervene and rule it out for offside.

The tense deadlock was finally broken in the 36th minute following a defensive calamity from the hosts. Capitalising on a poor clearance from Jon Ander Olasagasti, Alejandro Grimaldo reacted quickest to steal possession before unleashing a sublime left-footed strike into the top corner, leaving the goalkeeper helpless to make it 1-0.

Giuliano Simeone strikes to keep Atletico firm at the summit

Atletico Madrid continued to push after the break and were agonizingly close to doubling their lead when Lee Kang-in's powerful effort rattled the crossbar. However, the decisive moment arrived in the 62nd minute. Latching onto Alex Baena's exquisite through-ball that carved open the Levante defence, Giuliano Simeone held off his marker with brute strength before finishing clinically.

For the remainder of the match, Atletico Madrid's rock-solid defence comfortably thwarted every attack from the hosts. Securing a 2-0 clean sheet, Diego Simeone's men extended their winning run to seven matches to officially storm to the top of La Liga.

The Verdict

This pragmatic 2-0 victory away at Levante not only extends their impressive winning streak to seven matches but also propels Atletico Madrid to the summit of La Liga. Diego Simeone's side are displaying formidable strength, firmly establishing themselves as genuine title contenders.

A combination of defensive resilience and individual brilliance is turning Atletico Madrid into an incredibly relentless winning machine. Will this pragmatic grit be enough to keep the Rojiblancos at the top and power them all the way to the title?