Atlético Madrid 3 - Sevilla 0

Atlético: Leo Franco; Velasco, Pablo, García Calvo, Sergi; Gronkjaer, Luccin (Marcelo Sosa 74'), Colsa, Antonio López; Salva, Fernando Torres (Braulio 87'). 4-4-2.
Sevilla: Esteban; Sergio Ramos, Javi Navarro, Pablo Alfaro, David; Jordi, Renato (Casquero 46'); Darío Silva, Baptista, Jesuli (Antonio López 74'); Aranda (Kepa 56'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Atlético: Velasco, Sergi, Luccin, Salva for Molinero, Perea, Marcelo Sosa, Ibagaza / Sevilla: Pablo Alfaro, Jordi, Darío Silva, Aranda for Aitor Ocio, Daniel Alves, Antoñito.

Goals:
1-0. 16. Salva. Dived forward to head Antonio López cross wide of Esteban.
2-0. 37. Fernando Torres. Controlled free kick on chest and shot wide of keeper.
3-0. 42. Antonio López. Picked up long ball and struck overhead kick into net.

Atlético Madrid kept their hopes of European football alive with a 3-0 win over Sevilla, who drop below Valencia as a result. All the goals came in the first half, Salva starting things off throwing himself forward to head home Antonio López's cross with just over a quarter of an hour on the clock, his first league goal since early December. Fernando Torres could have made it two soon afterwards when he shot over the bar, but Baptista missed an easy chance to level the scores a few minutes later.

Eight minutes before the break though Torres beat a poor offside trap to collect an Antonio López free kick on his chest and pick his spot past the isolated Esteban. And López rounded off a good performance with a third goal before the break, getting in front of the defence to control the ball with his back to goal and find the net with an overhead kick.

The visitors had a couple of chances either side of half time, Jesuli shooting just wide from Darío Silva's cross and Aranda failing to convert another centre from the Uruguayan. But even when their opponents were reduced to ten men after Salva picked up a rather harsh second booking in a minute, they were unable to find the route to goal. Gronkjaer was unlucky not to be given a penalty when substitute Kepa crawled all over him in the area, but his side had already done enough to take the three points and close up to within four of their opponents, who stay in the UEFA cup spots despite their defeat.