Atletico Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid: Los Blancos Player Ratings as Rodrygo, Valverde strikes clinch tense derby win

Atletico Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid: Los Blancos Player Ratings as Rodrygo, Valverde strikes clinch tense derby win | La Liga 2022-23

By Sai Krishna

Modified Sep 18, 2022 21:38 GMT

Atletico de Madrid v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga Santander

Real Madrid extended their perfect record in the 2022-23 La Liga season as they beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a hotly contested derby at the Wanda Metropolitano. With six wins out of six, Carlo Ancelotti's men are comfortably placed at the top of the points table.

The Madrid derby started as one would expect it to, with players from both sides exchanging heated words. Atletico started the game in the ascendancy with a few carefully worked set-pieces testing Thibaut Courtois, who had to be on his toes throughout.

Real Madrid drew first blood, though, against the run of play. A delicious lofted ball from Aurelien Tchouameni found Rodrygo's run, and the young Brazilian finished expertly past Jan Oblak. Needless to say, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior celebrated taking the lead by breaking out a jig in front of an irate crowd.

Real Madrid took firm control over the game after the opener, calmly keeping possession. A give-and-go involving Vinicius and Luka Modric brought a second goal for the visitors, with Fede Valverde lashing one in after the former's attempt struck the post.

Atletico pulled one back in the 83rd minute, with Courtois' error allowing Mario Hermoso to divert the ball into an empty net. But it was too little, too late for the hosts as Real Madrid held on to put themselves eight points clear of their city rivals.

Here are Real Madrid's player ratings from their clash against Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs Atletico Madrid

Thibaut Courtois: 4/10

Courtois had a rare poor display. He seemed nervy right from the outset as Atletico challenged him with teasing set-pieces, with his missed punch in the 83rd minute giving the hosts some hope. The big Belgian was a touch wayward with his distribution as well, although he produced a good save to deny Antoine Griezmann in the first half.

Dani Carvajal: 8.5/10

Carvajal bossed his flank for Real Madrid, sniffing out any danger instantly and keeping Joao Felix quiet throughout. The right-back put in two tackles, one block and three interceptions, recovering the ball six times. He was immense.

David Alaba: 7/10

Alaba had a quiet night in defense, and while he wasn't at his best, he didn't do much wrong. He was calm in possession and helped Real Madrid build out from the back.

Eder Militao: 8.5/10

Like Carvajal, Militao put in a splendid display. Returning to the starting XI after recovering from injury, the Brazilian centre-back marshaled his troops excellently and threw himself around. His ball-progression unlocked the Atletico defense on multiple occasions.

Ferland Mendy: 6.5/10

Mendy was solid in defense as always, but he had a mixed night overall. He didn't offer much going forward and was sometimes too careless in possession. The left-back was taken off with 15 minutes to go because he was on a yellow card.

Aurelien Tchouameni: 9/10

Tchouameni has quickly become one of Real Madrid's best players. He produced a beautiful lofted ball to claim the assist for the opening goal and went on to put in a monster defensive shift. The young Frenchman recorded six clearances and was, as always, a ball-recovering machine.

Luka Modric: 7.5/10

Modric took some time to grow into the game, but once he did, Real Madrid found their groove. The Croatian maestro easily beat a poor Atletico press on several occasions, helping out the defense and regaining possession five times. He was taken off in the final stanza, but not before he had released Vinicius for the second goal and pinged long balls at will.

Toni Kroos: 7/10

Kroos is sometimes overrun in games as physical as the Madrid derby, but this wasn't one of those occasions. The German helped out defensively and Real's periods of dominant possession were characterized by his trademark switches of play.

Fede Valverde: 9/10

Valverde was everywhere, with his willingness to run with the ball creating a couple of gilt-edged changes for Real. He scored the second, lashing in a rebound from a tight angle, and pressed relentlessly throughout the contest. The Uruguayan's intensity and versatility were on full display in the derby.

Rodrygo: 8/10

Rodrygo produced a beautiful finish to put Real ahead. While he didn't have much else to do in the game on the ball, he instigated a few attacks with his directness and was always available for the outlet pass.

Vinicius Junior: 4/10

Whistled each time he touched the ball by a hostile Wanda Metropolitano, Vinicius had a tough outing. Although his run created Real's second goal, he was heavily marked throughout and couldn't influence the game like he usually does. The young Brazilian had only 35 touches and committed six fouls.