Atletico Madrid missed the chance to move top of the La Liga table after dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruna in week 10's opening fixture.
The visitors entered the interval with a one-goal lead courtesy of a long-range strike from Tiago.
Deportivo improved in the second period, however, and had their equaliser 13 minutes from time when Lucas Perez notched his sixth league goal of the campaign.
The result has left Atletico third in the division, while Deportivo sit sixth on 14 points.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.
Match statistics
DEPORTIVO
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 45%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 4
ATLETICO
Shots: 12
On target: 3
Possession: 55%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 9
Was the result fair?
The phrase 'a game of two halves' certainly springs to mind following events at the Riazor. There is no question that Atletico deserved to enter the interval with a one-goal lead having dominated events in the first period, but Deportivo were much the better team in the second half and on balance, deserved a share of the spoils. Simple? Sounds it, but not quite. When taking into account everything that occurred, a score draw was the right result, but Atletico boss Diego Simeone will feel that his side should have taken a bigger lead into the interval, with the visitors passing up a couple of good chances late in the half.
Deportivo's performance
Having only survived relegation on the final weekend last season, it was expected to be another tough campaign for Deportivo. That might well still end up being the case, but a total of 14 points from 10 matches has left them in sixth, just four points off the top four. A number of their XI seemed overwhelmed by Atletico in the first period, but it was a completely different performance in the second half. Some strong words may well have been exchanged in the dressing room at the break.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Deportivo did not have a single attempt - on or off target - in the first period, with Lucas incredibly isolated in the final third. That said, the hosts were not really uncomfortable defensively until the final 15 minutes of the half, when Atletico turned the screw. A mix-up at the back led to Atletico taking the lead and the home team had to survive a couple of dangerous moments late in the half to importantly keep the score at just 1-0 ahead of the second period.
A completely different Deportivo emerged after the break, with Fede Cartabia and Jonas Gutierrez suddenly joining Lucas in the final third and Sidnei remaining a strong presence at the back. Faycal Fajr actually came close to winning it for the home team late on when he curled a super effort towards the top corner, but it smashed the crossbar before being cleared. Claiming all the points might have been a little unjust, but the response from Victor Sanchez's side was very impressive. Based on this performance and indeed the early part of the campaign, they will not be fighting against the drop this time around.
Atletico's performance
Simeone is a hard manager to impress and therefore it was a surprise when the teamsheets were handed in and the XI showed no changes from the win over Valencia last time out. The Argentine head coach usually likes to freshen his team, but had clearly seen enough against Los Che to keep faith with the same players. It looked to have worked when Atletico took a 1-0 lead into the second period, but their performance in the second 45 minutes was well short of the level expected.
Atletico took the lead in the 34th minute when Tiago angled one into the bottom corner, but it really should have been 2-0 five minutes later when Diego Godin rose inside the box. Instead, the centre-back's header hit the post, before Antoine Griezmann fired straight at German Lux from close range. Matches are often influenced by those type of incidents and the fact that the visitors did not score a second goal while on top would have been a concern ahead of the second period in La Coruna.
A terrible mistake from Jose Gimenez ultimately led to Deportivo equalising in the 77th minute, but the goal had been coming such was the pressure that the home side were applying. Atletico simply did not threaten after the break, with Griezmann and Jackson Martinez both short of their best. This is the type of match that Atletico will need to win if they are to seriously challenge for the title this season, but they could not see the game through. Would Barcelona or Real Madrid have given away the lead under the same circumstances? Unlikely. Dropped points on the road could end up costing them once again.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Lucas Perez: The two goal-scorers were actually the two best players on the field, but Lucas just shades it following an all-action performance. The 27-year-old was incredibly isolated in the first period, but still managed to cause problems with his pace and power. It was that same tenacity that led him to levelling the scores and he showed brilliant composure to find the bottom corner from inside the box. The forward now has six league goals for the campaign and looks well on course for double figures.
Biggest gaffe
Unfortunately for Atletico, this is not a difficult decision. The visitors were heading for all the points as the final 15 minutes approached, but a poor mistake from Gimenez led to the equalising goal. The Uruguay centre-back attempted to shepherd the ball out of play under pressure from Lucas, but the youngster had his pocket picked in a dangerous area and Deportivo's leading scorer made full use of the opportunity provided. The 20-year-old has been excellent since gaining a spot in the first team, but this was a poor moment and it really cost his side.
Referee performance
Referee Pedro Perez had quite a busy evening due to the number of challenges that occurred, but he was very lenient when it came to issuing cards and a total of just two yellows is extremely low for any game of football at any level. Both sets of players had words with the official during the 90 minutes, but overall it was a solid night's work from Perez.
What next?
Deportivo: Depor will attempt to continue their impressive start to the campaign when they travel to struggling Levante next weekend.
Atletico: Next up for the capital outfit is a trip to Astana in the Champions League on Tuesday. Their last La Liga match is at home to Sporting Gijon next Sunday.
Matt Law
