Diego Simeone hailed his side’s performance level in their hard-fought victory at Espanyol to consolidate third place in La Liga.
Los Rojiblancos are unbeaten in twelve games across all competitions and have won seven of their last eight La Liga matches – with a draw at the Bernabeu the only match without a victory.
“After qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, it was very important for us to replicate that performance level at Espanyol,” Simeone explained at his post-match press conference.
“It’s a really difficult stadium – they force you to lose the ball and find space on the counter attack.
“We were faced with a lot of tough situations, the first half was a bit messy but the second half was a lot more balanced and controlled.
“It was a close match and our performance in attack gave us an important three points.”
Antoine Griezmann’s late goal secured the three points for Atleti, they sit seven points from the summit of the league.
