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Player Ratings: Villarreal 0-1 Atletico Madrid

Sports Mole takes a closer look at how each player performed during Atletico Madrid's 1-0 win at Villarreal in La Liga.

Atletico Madrid made it 11 La Liga games unbeaten with a 1-0 win at out-of-form Villarreal on Wednesday.

Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the match in the 74th minute as Villarreal's winless run stretched to 10 games in all competitions.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at how each player performed at El Madrigal.


Villarreal's forward Gerard Moreno reacts during the Spanish league football match Granada CF vs Villarreal CF at the Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium in Granada on September 14, 2014.© Getty Images

VILLARREAL

Goal

Sergio Asenjo: Made a couple of really smart saves, but was beaten by Torres late on. Did not complete the match after picking up what looked a nasty injury in the 85th minute. (6/10)

Defence

Mario Gaspar: Proved Villarreal's biggest threat. Had a wonderful chance to level late on and was always prepared to break forward. Has had a really impressive campaign. (7/10)

Eric Bailly: Was having a solid game at El Madrigal, but the Ivorian was culpable for Atletico's winner after he allowed Torres to nick possession in a dangerous position. (6/10)

Victor Ruiz: Must have thought that he had scored in the first period, but the on-loan Valencia defender's header was somehow kept out by the excellent Jan Oblak. (6/10)

Bojan Jokic: Did his best to make an impact in the final third, but the left-back's delivery from wide areas was quite disappointing. Not much wrong defensively though. (6/10)

Midfield

Antonio Rukavina: Usually a right-back, but was selected to play right midfield at El Madrigal. Struggled to make an impact in the first half and was replaced at the break. (5/10)

Tomas Pina: Had a couple of long-range attempts, but found the stands. Battled well in the middle of the park, but lacked that killer pass in the final third. (6/10)

Manu Trigueros: Delivered a couple of really dangerous free kicks, but the midfielder faded as the game developed. Neat and tidy in possession, but not an awful lot else. (6/10)

Jaume Costa: Like Rukavina, Costa looked what he was - a full-back playing in midfield. Worked hard down the left, but just never really made an impact. (6/10)

Attack

Joel Campbell: Hasn't had the best of times since joining on loan in January, but the Costa Rican was the one player that looked like making something happen. (6/10)

Gerard Moreno: Can be pleased with what has been a decent season, but the youngster really struggled to make an impact here. The game passed him by at El Madrigal. (5/10)

Substitutes

Moi Gomez: Replaced Rukavina at the interval as Villarreal boss Marcelino looked for more invention in the final third, but the Spaniard struggled to make his mark. (6/10)

Juan Carlos: Replaced Asenjo between the sticks in the 85th minute and had one or two nervy moments. It is always difficult for a goalkeeper to come into a game late on. (5/10)

Francisco Sol: Came on for his La Liga debut in the 85th minute, but it was too late to make an impact. Will hope to play a part before the season finishes. (5/10)


Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann (L) vies with Villarreal's defender Victor Ruiz during the Spanish league football match Villarreal CF vs Club Atletico de Madrid at El Madrigal stadium in Villareal on April 29, 2015© Getty Images

ATLETICO

Goal

Jab Oblak: Making a very late case to be named La Liga's best goalkeeper. Has been stunning since replacing Miguel Moya and made a couple of outstanding saves at El Madrigal. (8/10)

Defence

Juanfran: Usually such a threat in the final third, but the right-back was a little bit subdued. Solid defensively, but he did pick up a yellow card late on for a poor challenge. (6/10)

Miranda: Was not overly tested, but did well to restrict Villarreal to very few chances. Has had a bit of an inconsistent season due to injury problems and suspension. (7/10)

Diego Godin: Atletico might not be enjoying a season as impressive as last, but the Uruguay international remains one of the best centre-backs in world football. Solid again. (7/10)

Jesus Gamez: Has worked his way into the Atletico side in recent weeks and he delivered a couple of dangerous crosses. Also proved a threat with his notorious long-throw. (7/10)

Midfield

Tiago: As expected, the Portugal international was neat and tidy in possession, but he was not as much of a threat in the final third as he might have been. Decent enough. (6/10)

Gabi: Was so important for Atletico last season, but there do now seem to be better options in midfield. Conceded possession too often and lacked a cutting edge. (6/10)

Koke: Had a number of opportunities to deliver set pieces, but the Spaniard's final ball was a little bit hit-and-miss. Has had much better games this season, that is for certain. (6/10)

Attack

Arda Turan: Subdued performance from the Turkish international, who missed a good heading chance in the first period. Departed just past the hour mark. (6/10)

Mario Mandzukic: Really struggled to make an impact in the final third. Won a couple of headers, but that was about it before Torres entered in the 62nd minute. (5/10)

Antoine Griezmann: Was unfortunate not to gain a first-half penalty and the Frenchman was always a threat in the final third. Had chances to continue his excellent scoring run. (7/10)

Substitutes

Saul Niguez: Has had a breakthrough season with Atletico and the midfielder was given the final 30 minutes at El Madrigal. Proved neat and tidy in possession of the ball. (6/10)

Fernando Torres: Was only on the field for 30 minutes, but the Spaniard made an excellent contribution. Scored the winning goal and it was all his own hard work. (8/10)

Raul Garcia: Replaced Gabi in the 69th minute and helped Atletico resist some late pressure. (6/10)


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Atletico Madrid's coach Diego Simeone looks on prior to kick-off in the Champions League semi-final first leg match against Chelsea on April 22, 2014
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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