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Real Madrid put in a thumping display at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano to beat Atletico Madrid, who have had the best defence in Europe this season and came into this fixture undefeated in the 2020-21 La Liga so far.
The win was the champions' third in a row in all competitions after their abysmal showing against Shakhtar Donetsk put them on the cusp of Champions League elimination and Zinedine Zidane's position in jeopardy. Since then, Los Blancos have kept three successive clean sheets and have looked a much more cohesive unit than they did just a week ago.
With Los Blancos captain Sergio Ramos becoming the most capped player in the history of the Madrid derby, Real Madrid looked determined to take all three points against the meanest defence in La Liga this season.
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Karim Benzema came close to opening the scoring with a left-footed strike before Casemiro put Real Madrid in the lead at the quarter-hour mark with a well-placed header from Toni Kroos' inch-perfect corner.
Atletico Madrid lost the midfield battle, as the Real Madrid trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro overwhelmed the Rojiblancos, who were lucky to get to half-time only a goal down.
The second half saw a flurry of substitutes for the away side, as Simeone rung the changes to get his team back into the contest. However, that was not to be, and Real Madrid held firm before Dani Carvajal scored the second via Jan Oblak to seal all three points for the hosts.
In the 63rd minute of the game, Carvajal turned in an innocuous defensive clearance into one of the most spectacular goals of the season. However, that went down as an Oblak own goal, as the ball hit the Slovak's back on its way in.
The returning right-back, who became a father earlier this week, hit an absolute screamer from 25 yards, beating arguably the best keeper in the world with a sumptous half-volley.
Nevertheless, both goalkeepers had decent outings. Atletico Madrid were denied a way back into the contest, thanks to the brilliance of Real Madrid custodian Thibaut Coutois, who kept out Thomas Lemar and Luis Suarez. Oblak, on his part, also denied Real Madrid on several occasions
On that note, let us have a look at the player ratings of both teams in the absorbing contest.
Real Madrid Player Ratings:
Thibaut Courtois: 7.5/10
The big Belgian did nothing spectacular apart from a couple of saves in the second half. Nevertheless, his save off Saul in the 80th minute was arguably one of the best of his Real Madrid career, as he swatted away a certain goal-bound effort from the Atleti substitute.
Dani Carvajal: 8/10
Dani Carvajal was solid throughout the 79 minutes he was on the pitch. His goal (via Oblak) sealed Atletico's fate early in the second half, as the league leaders returned empty-handed from the home of their fierce rivals.
Carvajal also pocketed Yannik Carrasco and later Angel Correa, who had to switch over to the right-wing.
Sergio Ramos: 7.5/10
The Real Madrid captain did what he does best: dictating play from the back along with Toni Kroos.
Ramos also made sure that Joao Felix and Luis Suarez couldn't capitalise on the few occasions the Real Madrid defence slipped up. He was also a threat going forward.
Raphael Varane: 7/10
There was nothing spectacular from Raphael Varane, who dealt with Atletico Madrid's threat with relative ease. However, he did seem troubled when Lemar switched over to the left flank and Lucas Vasquez moved to right-back.
Ferland Mendy: 8/10
With 58 accurate passes at a 95% accuracy, Ferland Mendy's performance on the night was only bettered tonight by that of Toni Kroos. Mendy was also a rock defensively, winning three duels against Marcos Llorente in the first half.
Luka Modric: 7/10
Luka Modric is seemingly turning back the clock for Real Madrid, as he's becoming a more prominent figure despite his age. The Croatian veteran was one of the key players in the hosts' midfield that thwarted Atletico Madrid on the night.
Casemiro: 8/10
Casemiro's goal was a cherry on top of the shift he put in to nullify Atletico Madrid's attacking threat in the game. The Brazilian put in a top-notch performance to reinforce the fact that he's one of the best defensive midfielders in the world right now.
Toni Kroos: 9/10
Toni Kroos bossed the middle of the park for Real Madrid. He completed a staggering 87 passes with a 97% accuracy whilst creating three chances, the most by any player on the pitch.
Lucas Vasquez: 7.5/10
It was another solid shift from Lucas Vasquez. He put in a tireless performance and was unlucky to be denied by a splendid Oblak save late on in the second half.
Karim Benzema: 7/10
Karim Benzema was at the forefront of some of the best moves Real Madrid made on the night. However, he couldn't convert any of them.
Real Madrid's struggles in front of goal get amplified without the Frenchman, something that was true against Atletico Madrid too. Benzema was denied by a jaw-dropping save by Oblak; nevertheless, his contribution in Real Madrid's win was massive.
Vinicius Jr: 7.5/10
Vinicius Jr was a threat on the left flank, troubling Trippier and Llorente as the young Brazilian put in a solid shift on the night.
Ratings of Real Madrid Substitutes
Rodrygo, Marco Asensio, Fede Valverde: N/A.
Atletico Madrid Player Ratings:
Jan Oblak: 8/10
Jan Oblak is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world for a reason. The Atletico Madrid custodian put in a bevy of stops to keep the scoreline to 2-0. He wasn't at fault for either of the two goals Real Madrid scored on the night.
Kieran Trippier: 6/10
Kieran Trippier was unspectacular going forward and clumsy while tracking back. Barring a couple of blocks on Vinicius Jr. and Benzema, it was a very below average night for the Englishman.
Stefan Savic: 6/10
Stefan Savic, along with his defensive partner Felipe, put in a decent shift but had a torrid time dealing with Benzema and co.
Felipe: 5/10
Felipe lost Casemiro in the lead-up to Real Madrid's opener. The Atletico Madrid player looked pretty uncomfortable in 1v1 situations before he was taken off at half-time.
Mario Hermoso: 6/10
Mario Hermoso looked really good when he had the ball at his feet. He made quite a few inventive passes from the back. Hermoso wasn't at fault for either of the two goals Atletico Madrid conceded on the night. Nevertheless, it wasn't his best performance in the Rojiblanco jersey.
Yannick Carrasco: 5/10
Yannick Carrasco was pocketed by Carvajal and offered no real threat to Real Madrid before he was taken off at half-time for Correa.
Hector Herrera: 5/10
Hector Herrera ran the hard yards but gave the ball away on far too many occasions. He looked out of depth and was taken off at half-time. That allowed Llorente to move into midfield and Lemar in the right wing.
Koke: 5.5/10
The Atletico Madrid captain crumbled under the pressure of playing the defending champions. Koke couldn't do enough on the night to extend Atletico Madrid's unbeaten start to the domestic season.
Marcos Llorente: 7.5/10
The only Atletico Madrid player barring Thomas Lemar who looked like doing any damage to Real Madrid going forward was Marcos Llorente.
However, his threat was negated well by Ferland Mendy in the first half. In the second, he was moved to midfield, where he gave Luka Modric and Casemiro a stern battle in midfield.
Joao Felix: 5/10
Joao Felix was a mere passenger in the first half, as he was barely involved in any play in the opposition box. The young Portuguese looked like a pale shadow of his illustrious self and was completely shut out by Casemiro and Carvajal.
Luis Suarez: 5/10
Luis Suarez clearly looked off the pace after having just recovered from COVID-19. Ideally, he should've been allowed some more rest before being thrown into the fray. Suarez put in a lethargic performance against Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid were clearly the worse off for it.
Ratings of Atletico Madrid Substitutes
Renan Lodi: 6/10
Renan Lodi tried to get down the right flank of Real Madrid but to no avail, as he was shut down more often than not by either Vasquez or Carvajal.
Angel Correa: 6/10
In a game where he should've ideally started, Angel Correa only came on to do damage control for Atletico Madrid. During his short stint out in the middle, his vision and sharpness were there, but his final touch was missing.
Thomas Lemar: 7/10
The Atletico Madrid player who looked most likely to and probably should have scored against Real Madrid was Thomas Lemar. However, he missed a sitter from less than ten yards, smashing a shot to the side netting when Atletico Madrid were only a goal behind in the game.
Saul Niguez: 6.5/10
Saul Niguez came closer to scoring than Lemar but was denied by a superb effort by Courtois late in the game.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 7/10
Geoffrey Kongobia tried to create panic in the Real Madrid defence and was almost successful, as Atletico Madrid squandered a few gilt-edged chances to get back on level terms.
