Depay delight for Atleti in tight Celta victory
Both teams came into this contest in decent form, with Celta Vigo having won back-to-back matches in LaLiga since returning from the World Cup break, while Atletico had lost just once in the same period to runaway leaders Barcelona.
With this in mind, an entertaining affair could have been on the cards in north-east Spain, however the first half was desperately poor from an attacking perspective, with neither side showing any confidence or fluidity going forward.
Full-back Oscar Mingueza’s effort from distance, which went wide of the right post, was a rare effort on goal.
Atletico have the joint second-best defensive record in LaLiga, and so it was little surprise that they were able to keep their hosts at bay, however Diego Simeone will have wanted to see more from his side in the other aspect of their play in a lacklustre first half.
Just three minutes after the restart, he almost got his wish when Llorente squared to Alvaro Morata inside the area, but the striker had his shot saved low down to his left by Ivan Villar.
Then, with the hour mark approaching, the visitors counted their lucky stars when Iago Aspas’ shot from close range rolled under Jan Oblak, who was able to recover and get back just in time to prevent the ball crossing the line.
The game was in desperate need of a spark inside the last 20 minutes, and those in attendance got just that.
Despite losing Stefan Savic to a red card, and seeing Aspas hit the crossbar with the resulting free-kick, Simeone’s men defied the odds once again as Depay hooked the ball home from close range to stun the home fans and consolidate his side’s place in fourth, while Celta Vigo remain 13th.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Memphis Depay (Atletico Madrid)