Atletico Madrid were brought down a peg, Radamel Falcao got a kick in the face, and Real Madrid and Barcelona could only chuckle after Valencia stopped the ‘Rojiblanco’ bandwagon in its tracks at the Mestalla on Saturday.

Diego Simeone’s side were one win away from their best ever start to a season and they were 23 games unbeaten in all competitions. 

 

Barcelona’s Gerard Pique uttered the jinx words earlier in the day, ‘Atletico can win the league’ and that was it, they stumbled.

 

More like they were helped to the ground, with a hefty shove.

 

Valencia needed a win to prevent their season spiralling out of control, so it comes as no surprise to hear Saturday’s clash was intense and niggly.

 

A moment of brilliance from Roberto Soldado, who volleyed in a long pass from Adil Rami, gave Mauricio Pellegrino’s side a 20th-minute lead, and they dug in to defend it tooth and nail from there on in.

 

Just before scoring, Soldado had accidentally swung his boot backwards in a goal-mouth scramble where Atletico almost took the lead, and caught a prone Falcao in the face.

 

The Colombia striker left the pitch for a moment with a blood-streaked face and ended up needing four stitches. Stopping him from scoring in a 12th consecutive match between club and country was vital for the hosts.

 

The rest of the ‘violence’ was of the ‘Aaaah, I’ve been shot in the face’ type. Both teams were as guilty as each other, but it suited Valencia more to break up Atletico’s dominance of possession. 

 

For the visitors, Arda Turan and Adrian Lopez looked the most likely to help Atletico back into the game, but they did not create enough clear cut chances.

 

Fernando Gago and Sofiane Feghouli stood out for Valencia, and it was the Algerian midfielder who cleverly fed Nelson Valdez to settle the game in time added on.

 

Atletico’s bubble has not exactly burst, they played well, but they are now three points behind leaders Barcelona in second place. 

 

Barca successfully set a club record start to a season with a 3-1 home win over Celta Vigo thanks to goals from Adriano, David Villa and Jordi Alba.

 

Malaga’s surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Rayo Vallecano saw them slip down to fourth, with champions Real Madrid climbing above them into third.

 

Jose Mourinho’s side swept aside Zaragoza 4-0 at the Bernabeu, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria, Michael Essien and Luka Modric doing the damage.

 

It was strange that neither Cristiano Ronaldo, new-Dad Lionel Messi or Falcao scored for a change, but the table is starting to look all too familiar. 

 

The eight-point gap between Madrid and Barca remains, but Atletico are now just five points ahead of their city rivals, and Simeone’s upstarts still have to play the top two before Christmas. 

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About the author
Mark Elkington
Madrid-based sports writer often seen at the Calderon and the Bernabeu, less so in Vallecas and Getafe, and only occasionally at Elland Road.