Atletico Madrid have fallen seven points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid after losing 1-0 at home to Villarreal on Sunday.
The clash at the Vicente Calderon was short of clear-cut chances, but Luciano Vietto's late strike secured an unlikely three points for the Yellow Submarine, who have regained sixth spot.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics
ATLETICO
Shots: 11
On target: 2
Possession: 57%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 15
VILLARREAL
Shots: 7
On target: 4
Possession: 43%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
Villarreal's victory will surely be described as smash-and-grab in some quarters, but the Yellow Submarine will argue that they deserved all the points at the Calderon. In truth, it was a match of few clear opportunities, but the majority of chances that did arrive came for Villarreal, who were always a threat on the counter-attack.
Atletico will feel that they should have been ahead just before the hour, however, when Mario Mandzukic headed home at the far post, only for the referee to whistle for a free kick. It was a soft decision to say the least and one that has ultimately cost the home side. Atletico only had two attempts on target throughout the match and did not really do enough to win it, but defeat is harsh on the Spanish champions. When analysing the match as a whole, a draw would have been a fair reflection of the events.
Atletico's performance
Atletico will point to some decisions that seemed to go against them at the Calderon, but their overall performance was disappointing. The hosts had 11 attempts, but just two of those were on target. As expected, they had the majority of the possession in the final third, but it is difficult to say that Villarreal were under constant pressure. Arda Turan looked the player most likely to make something happen, but the likes of Mandzukic and Raul Garcia were disappointing for the home side.
Incredibly, around 60% of Atletico's goals this season have come from set pieces, but they had no joy from that avenue against Villarreal. In fact, Koke's delivery was well short of his best. Underperforming attackers meant that it was vital for Atletico to remain strong at the back, but they had a couple of lapses in the second period and were ultimately punished. On another day, they would have won this match by the odd goal, but they came up against a well-drilled Villarreal side. Now, the capital outfit are seven points behind the league leaders Real Madrid, who have won their last 20 games in all competitions.
Villarreal's performance
The Yellow Submarine entered the match off the back of three successive league wins and therefore it was not a surprise that they started the match in confident fashion. Even in the very early moments, the visitors were prepared to commit numbers in the final third. Indeed, Marcelino's intentions were shown when he selected both Vietto and Ikechukwu Uche in attack. The former eventually proved to be the match-winner, but the likes of Denis Cheryshev and Bruno were also excellent for the away side.
Defensively, Villarreal were also brilliant, with Victor Ruiz and Gabriel Paulista both putting in star performances at centre-back. Atletico continued to increase the pressure in the latter stages - as expected - but those two in particular made a number of crucial clearances. In many ways, the visitors had the perfect game-plan at the Calderon and while they had to ride their luck, their overall performance deserved something from the match. It is a result that will breed confidence throughout the team.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Luciano Vietto: Having missed a glorious chance to put Villarreal ahead after 74 minutes, it would have been easy for the Argentine to retreat into his shell. However, the 21-year-old continued to threaten the Atletico defence and eventually got his reward in the latter stages. The striker showed brilliant skill and finishing ability to find the back of the net, but it was his overall performance that impressed the most. Atletico just could not live with Vietto's constant movement.
Biggest gaffe
As touched upon, Atletico really should have taken the lead just before the hour mark when Mandzukic headed a Turan cross into the back of the net. However, the referee penalised Mandzukic for an aerial challenge on Mario Gaspar, which was very soft. Mario made the decision to throw himself to the ground and got the decision from the referee, but it was very harsh on the home side, who will feel that some key decisions went against them in the Spanish capital.
Referee performance
It was certainly an interesting night for referee Pedro Perez. Villarreal had a strong shout for a penalty towards the end of the first period when Gabi handled inside the box, but Perez was not interested. As mentioned, Atletico will feel that the decision to disallow Mandzukic's header was harsh and therefore Perez might have made a couple of serious errors on Sunday. The official, who issued seven yellow cards, was also slightly picky with a number of aerial challenges, which harmed the flow of the match.
What next?
Atletico: The Spanish champions face L'Hospitalet in the second leg of their last-32 Copa del Rey clash on Thursday, holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg. Their next league match is away to Athletic Bilbao next Sunday.
Villarreal: The Yellow Submarine are also in the Copa del Rey action next week as they welcome Cadiz on Wednesday, holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg. They return to league action at home to Deportivo La Coruna next Sunday.
Matt Law
