Espanyol were unbeaten in eight LaLiga home matches prior to kick-off at the RCDE Stadium – their longest such run since January 2017 – and they therefore would have fancied their chances against an Atletico side beaten in their last two league outings and dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by hated rivals Real Madrid.
However, Marcos Llorente came close to ripping that part of the formbook to pieces in the third minute, seeing a goal disallowed for offside before a largely unmemorable opening half-hour proceeded.
Arguably, the only highlight within that period was an Antoine Griezmann free-kick that was stubbed out by the defensive wall, and the withdrawal of Robin Le Normand due to a head clash with Roberto Fernandez was a big blow.
Atletico had the measure of their hosts after that though, eventually making the breakthrough 10 minutes before the break. It was a classic example of Madrilenian magic, with an interchange on the right flank resulting in a cross deep into the area, which led to Alexander Sorloth heading back to the edge of the box under pressure. The ball fell perfectly to Cesar Azpilicueta, who thundered in a missile into the top-left corner of the Espanyol net.
Newly buoyed by the former Chelsea man’s first strike since April 2022, Atletico should have gone further ahead five minutes after the restart when Sorloth missed by inches.
Enough was enough from an Espanyol perspective, and within five minutes of a double substitution, the Catalan side had a great chance to level up, with Javi Puado crossing in for Alejo Veliz, only for the Tottenham Hotspur loanee to be crowded out of a clear shot.
Espanyol did, however, finally get that elusive equaliser just a couple of minutes later. As a whipped ball came into the box, Clement Lenglet was penalised for dragging Leandro Cabrera to the ground, and Javier Alberola had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Puado was the man tasked with beating Jan Oblak, and he did so despite the seasoned stopper guessing correctly, with his powerful spot-kick flying into the roof of the net past the Slovenian’s outstretched glove.
Although it was a damaging blow for the Rojiblancos, the fact that 17 of their goals prior to kick-off had arrived after the 75th minute gave the visiting faithful hope of a late twist in their favour.
All eyes were on Griezmann to make the desired impact, and a chance to add further to that did indeed fall the Frenchman’s way 10 minutes from time, but he found his first-time low shot thwarted by Joan Garcia.
A draw it ultimately was, and with Barcelona heavily fancied to extend their lead over Atletico to nine points in tomorrow’s action, this is very likely a fatal blow to the title hopes of Diego Simeone and his charges. Espanyol, meanwhile, remain firmly in the relegation dogfight, and could even end the weekend as low as 18th.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cesar Azpilicueta (Atletico Madrid)