Elche: Manu Herrera; Damián
Suárez, Botía, Lombán, Edu Albácar; Rubén
Pérez, Carlos Sánchez (Javi Márquez 74'); Carles Gil,
Coro, Fidel (Aarón Ñíguez 65'); Boakye (Cristian Herrera
71'). 4-2-3-1.
Atlético: Courtois; Juanfran,
Miranda, Godín, Filipe Luis; Koke, Gabi, Tiago, Arda Turan
(Adrián 69'); Diego Costa, David Villa (Raúl García 61').
4-4-2.
Goals:
0-1. 63. Koke. Turned shot past Manu Herrera after
keeper saved from Raúl García.
0-2. 74. Diego Costa. Struck
angled shot past keeper after Adrián passed over top.
Yellow cards: Tiago 13', Villa 16', Botía 25', Damián Suárez 62', Filipe Luis 65', Koke 82'.
Atlético Madrid beat Elche 0-2 in the first game of Saturday afternoon to move level with leaders Barcelona pending their game at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Cholo Simeone's side were looking for a record thirteenth win in fifteen, and they had the better chances early on, Manu Herrera having to save from Gabi and Villa, and Diego costa and Arda Turan firing shots wide. Damián Suárez also did well to block Costa's shot after the keeper could only push out a long cross from Koke, but Boakye wasted a good chance at the other end, and soon after the restart Carles Gil brought a first save out of Courtois. Twenty minutes in to the second half however Koke opened the scoring after Manu blocked a shot from Raúl García, Delgado Ferrerio turning down Elche's claims that Costa had pulled over Botía as he tried to clear. The referee did disallow a strike by Arda Turan soon afterwards for what he considered to be a foul on the keeper, but a few minutes later Adrián lifted the ball over the defence for Costa to run on and score his side's second.