Diego Simeone is scarcely a figure guilty of basking in his own glory, but the Uruguayan would be excused on this occasion as his side contrived to end Eibar's unbeaten record thanks to a series of inspired second-half substitutions, winning 2-0.
After an opening period where the visitors coughed and spluttered, Simeone introduced Oliver Torres, Angel Correa and Fernando Torres during the second-half's infancy and his decision would bear fruit as the latter pair fired Atleti to victory.
The duo combined to break the deadlock minutes after Correa had been introduced, before the Argentine teed up his Spanish associate to seal all three points.
Ebb and flow
After a period of sustained possession for the hosts, Atleti soon settled into their rhythm and went close on seven minutes via Luciano Vietto. The Argentine received the ball with his back to goal, swivelled and released an effort towards goal, but his strike lacked conviction.
Atleti’s influence surged and receded, with the aforementioned Vietto strike the only effort worthy of note in the opening quarter of an hour. Eibar, in the meantime, were compact, pressed diligently in midfield and were making inroads into the visitors box.
Jackson Martinez was then denied from point blank range by Riesgo between the sticks.
The Colombian yet again threatened the Eibar goal, guiding Koke’s lofted ball across the face of goal. Vietto arrived late though he failed to steer his effort on target.
Keko, though, was proving a thorn in the Atleti rearguard, profiting from a Jose Gimenez error and delivering a tantalising ball into the box. Juanfran was there to snuff out the danger.
Griezmann provided a rare moment of brilliance when he nutmegged Dos Santos in midfield. But, in a moment which encapsulated the visitors first-half display, he scuffed his effort wide of the mark.
Visitors grow in confidence
The second-half began with Atleti on the front foot. Filipe Luis, whose forays into enemy territory were scarce in the first period, forced Riesgo into a fingertip save.
But Eibar worked themselves back into proceedings and threatened on the counter, with Berjon testing Jan Oblak after a swift transition.
Inspired changes
Simeone then turned to the bench on the hour mark for inspiration. Koke was hooked for Angel Correa and, within seconds, the Argentine got Atleti off the mark. Fernando Torres, who was introduced at half-time, latched onto a sumptous lofted ball from his namesake, Oliver, and found Correa darting into the penalty area. The forward, whose arrival in Madrid was delayed due to a series of heart problems, hoodwinked defender Escalante, steadied himself before rifling his effort under Riesgo to open his account in red and white.
Correa then turned provider ten minutes later to double Atleti’s advantage, teeing up Fernando Torres, who supplied the pass for the opener, to lift his effort over the Eibar No.1 with 13 minutes remaining.
Atleti nearly staged a nervy ending when Juanfran almost diverted the ball into his own net, but Simeone's side clung on.