Atletico Madrid beat 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 in feisty La Liga derby

The Madrid derby produced its decisive moment early in the second half when Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen pulled back Giuliano Simeone as the Atletico forward ran clear. Following a VAR review Huijsen was shown a red card and Atletico were awarded a penalty, which Alejandro Grimaldo converted past Thibaut Courtois to give the hosts the lead.

Reduced to ten men, Real struggled to assert themselves. Atletico doubled their advantage on 59 minutes when Jonathan David finished Giuliano Simeone’s low cross, marking David’s third goal in three matches. Jan Oblak made several important saves to preserve Atletico’s lead as Real pushed for a way back into the game.

Jose Mourinho had started with Aurelien Tchouameni over Bernardo Silva to add defensive solidity and reacted to the red card by making attacking substitutions including Yan Diomande and Antonio Rudiger. Real eventually pulled a goal back late on when Rudiger headed in Bernardo Silva’s cross, but Madrid could not find an equaliser before the final whistle.

The match was filled with physical incidents and VAR interventions. In the first half a challenge involving Jude Bellingham and Cristian Romero saw bookings altered after review, and Madrid players protested an unchecked tackle by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde. Overall the contest was intense but criticised in the report for lacking clear chances and the expected attacking fluency given the players on the field.

The result lifts Atletico to second place in La Liga, five points behind leaders Barcelona and a point ahead of Real Madrid, while handing Mourinho’s side a second defeat of the season.