Atlético Madrid moved into first place in La Liga with a 3-1 victory over Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Friday evening. Alejandro Baena opened the scoring inside the first four minutes and added another before half-time, while Ademola Lookman found the net to complete the scoring before the interval. Miguel Sierra pulled one back for the hosts after the break but Atlético held firm to take all three points.
Baena was the first to find the net, firing home in the fourth minute before Sevilla could settle. Lookman doubled the lead at the 26-minute mark, and Baena struck again three minutes later to put the visitors ahead by three without reply. Mikel Llorente picked up a yellow card just before the break as Sevilla tried to respond.
Atlético made changes at the 66th minute when Lookman came off and M. Llorente joined him on the sidelines. Sierra scored for Sevilla at that same hour but the hosts had already let the game slip away. Peque, Lee Kang-In, and several others came off the bench in the second half but could not turn the result around.
Sevilla dominated possession with 42 per cent but could only manage five shots on target from nine attempts. Atlético had slightly less possession at 58 per cent but created two big chances compared to Sevilla's one. Both sides finished with the same number of shots on target, five each, though Atlético were more clinical with their chances.
The victory moves Atlético into top spot with seven points from three games, one ahead of Sevilla who sit fifth with six points. They have not lost since their opening fixture, while Sevilla's defeat ends what had been a promising start to the season.
