Riding high after a last-gasp win over Athletic Club, Diego Simeone’s side sought to build momentum ahead of a crucial UEFA Champions League clash.
Valencia - stuck at the bottom following a fourth straight winless outing - nearly paid the price for a defensive error when Alexander Sorloth pounced on a stray pass. Fortunately for the visitors, Giorgi Mamardashvili stood strong to deny the Norwegian’s one-on-one effort and subsequent close-range attempts.
Atleti’s Samuel Lino opened the scoring in this fixture last season and he came close to doing so once again with an attempt that flew wide of the right post, as Los Che eventually succumbed to the pressure.
Conor Gallagher’s first goal in Spain arrived as a result of a superb team move, with the Englishman slotting a composed finish into the bottom corner following a slick Rodrigo De Paul nutmeg pass six minutes before half-time.
Valencia threatened first after the restart via Javi Guerra’s thunderbolt of an effort that grazed the right post, but it was the hosts who converted at the second time of asking when Antoine Griezmann latched onto Lino’s headed pass inside the box and struck home to double Atleti’s advantage.
A double change by Ruben Baraja followed with 20 minutes to play, but a lack of cohesiveness clearly showed as his team ultimately conceded another at the death after Julian Alvarez tapped in his side’s third following Rodrigo Riquelme’s pass to cap off a fourth defeat in five games for the visitors.
Winless in their last 12 league games, bottom-placed Valencia are in the midst of their worst streak in the competition since Gary Neville’s tenure eight years ago.
The shutout loss also marks a 14th straight game without a victory when visiting Atleti, while Simeone’s troops claim a fourth successive league clean sheet since December 2020. The capital side are now unbeaten in the league since losing 4-1 at home to Osasuna last season on the penultimate matchday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid)
