ALVARO MORATA struck twice for Atletico Madrid as they inflicted rivals Real Madrid’s first defeat of the season, with a 3-1 derby triumph on Sunday in La Liga.
Champions Barcelona sit top of the league as Los Blancos lost their 100% record, with Antoine Griezmann also on target for Atletico, fifth, at their raucous Metropolitano stadium.
Real Madrid are third, a point behind Barcelona and high-flying Girona in second place, after they failed to match Atletico’s level of intensity in an enthralling clash.
Morata netted an early header and Griezmann doubled Atletico’s lead before Toni Kroos pulled Madrid into the game with a stinging drive before half-time.
However, Morata headed home again at the start of the second half and Madrid could not find a way back against an Atletico side bouncing back from what coach Diego Simeone labelled their “weakest” performance of his long reign last weekend.
“What I need is to feel important and this year, maybe I feel more important than in other years — I hope we keep winning because I really want to win a title with Atletico,” Morata told DAZN.
“I’m very happy for all the fans, I said it the other day … that the fans are going to have the most important role, and that’s how it was.
“(We’re) all together, us on the pitch and them in the stands.”
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has given veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Kroos limited minutes this season but chose to start them both in the team’s biggest game of the campaign to date, dropping pivot Aurelien Tchouameni and striker Joselu.
The Italian pushed new arrival Jude Bellingham even further into attack, alongside Rodrygo, instead of in the number 10 role he has starred in since his move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, scoring six goals in his first six games before the derby.
Real Madrid were without star forward Vinicius Junior, who has recovered from his hamstring injury but suffered a stomach problem on Sunday morning, according to Spanish reports.
It only took four minutes for Atletico to go ahead.
Samuel Lino, playing at left wing-back, whipped a ball in for Morata to head home after escaping the attentions of David Alaba.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 18th minute when Griezmann directed a header past Kepa Arrizabalaga from Saul Niguez’s cross.
Atletico should have made it three after half an hour but Madrid’s goalkeeper, on loan from Chelsea, produced a fine low save to deny Saul.
The Rojiblancos were quickly made to pay when Kroos swerved away from Marcos Llorente and drilled past Jan Oblak from the edge of the box.
The German midfield controller was Madrid’s stand-out player in the first half and Oblak fielded another of his long-range strikes well.
Eduardo Camavinga tapped home just before half-time but the goal was ruled offside because of Antonio Rudiger’s position, to Madrid fury as he did not touch a cross which was curled in his direction.
Atletico defender Jose Gimenez was booked for scything down Rodrygo as tensions rose at the Metropolitano.
- Morata double -
Ancelotti sent Joselu on for Modric, the game largely passing the 38-year-old by, yet barely a minute into the second half, Atletico stretched their lead.
Alaba left Morata free behind him, assuming Camavinga would mark the Spain forward, who netted with a free header from Saul’s cross.
Mario Hermoso clipped the crossbar with a header as Atletico tried to put the game out of reach of Los Blancos and their penchant for comebacks.
Substitute Tchouameni and Rudiger sent long-range efforts narrowly wide for Madrid as the hosts kept their opponents at arm’s length and secured an impressive win.
England international Bellingham, who for the first time since arriving failed to have a strong influence on the game, was booked for a wild tackle on Angel Correa in stoppage time to end a disappointing night.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain demolished Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday with summer signing Goncalo Ramos scoring twice in a 4-0 victory for the reigning champions, but Kylian Mbappe came off injured in the first half.
Mbappe appeared to hurt his ankle in winning the free-kick which saw Achraf Hakimi put PSG ahead in the eighth minute at the Parc des Princes.
The France superstar was eventually replaced just after the half-hour mark, but the home side went on to double their lead before the breakthrough Randal Kolo Muani.
Ramos then headed in the home side’s third goal just after half-time and completed the rout late on as PSG followed up their 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek.
The win leaves Luis Enrique’s team in fourth place after six games, two points behind surprise leaders Brest, who beat Lyon 1-0 on Saturday.
Marseille had started the day unbeaten and were above PSG in the table, but they were outclassed here at the end of a turbulent week for the 1993 Champions League winners.
Their coach Marcelino Garcia Toral resigned on Wednesday after only seven games at the helm and following an angry meeting between club officials and fan representatives.
Marseille president Pablo Longoria and several senior colleagues opted not to travel to Amsterdam for Thursday’s 3-3 draw with Ajax in the Europa League amid doubt as to whether they would carry on.
However, Longoria has since decided to stay and was in Paris for Sunday’s game in which former player Jacques Abardonado took interim charge of the team.
Also in attendance in the French capital was Selena Gomez, who may have been hoping to see Mbappe play a more prominent role than he ultimately did.
- Hakimi stars -
The forward had scored eight goals in five games this season before Sunday, when he appeared to turn his left ankle in an early tangle of legs with Leonardo Balerdi just outside the Marseille box.
A foul was given and Hakimi scored with a stunning strike from the resulting free-kick as he continued his fine start to the campaign.
Clearly, in some discomfort, Mbappe twice came off for treatment before eventually giving up in the 31st minute to be replaced by Ramos.
Marseille might have equalised midway through the first half but Vitinha headed an inviting cross by Jonathan Clauss off the bar and over.
Instead, PSG scored again on 37 minutes when a long-range Hakimi shot took a deflection and hit the post before ricocheting off goalkeeper Pau Lopez and falling for Kolo Muani to score.
It was his first goal since signing for his hometown team from Eintracht Frankfurt on transfer deadline day at the beginning of the month.
Portugal forward Ramos then joined in after the break, scoring his first two goals since signing from Benfica.
Ramos arrived at the near post to head in Ousmane Dembele’s right-wing cross just over a minute into the second half.
And he netted again with a minute left, finishing off Kolo Muani’s low centre at the end of a counter-attack.
