Real Sociedad jumped to second place in the table on Sunday after defeating Celta Vigo at Balaídos.
The play was reasonably balanced in the opening stages, with the visitors having the lion's share of the chances. Sociedad's attacking play was based on a series of neat interchanges between their midfield players, all of whom looked comfortable with the ball at their feet. Martin Ødegaard looked promising in possession, lacking only the killer pass to help give his side an early lead.
Celta were relying far more on the long ball in their attempts to break down the Sociedad defence, constantly launching passes forward to Iago Aspas and Santi Mina with varying degrees of success. It was to be a frustrating afternoon for the pair, who would continue to heap pressure on the opposition defenders throughout the game.
However, the home side were not without their chances, and it was Os Celestes that would have the first real opportunity to open the scoring on 35 minutes. From a corner, Mina did well to beat his marker, with the resulting header going just wide of the post. Minutes later, Celta would have an even better chance, when an outstanding cross from Denis Suárez was headed over by Mina, who found himself virtually unmarked in the six yard box. Another chance squandered.
The second half started in much the same way as the first, with neither side looking particularly dangerous. Aspas began to appear visibly frustrated at the lack of quality service he was receiving up front, while Mikel Oyarzabal's shot on 63 minutes was the first on target for the Basques since the restart.
However, things got complicated for the Galicians on 66 minutes, when a second yellow for Pape Cheikh reduced them to ten men with 24 minutes to play. Sociedad suddenly themselves with far more space in midfield, and began to dominate possession with their neat passing play. The goal would finally come on 82 minutes, when Ødegaard split the Celta defence with a lovely through ball, allowing substitute Alexander Isak to turn and slot the ball past Rubén Blanco.
La Real would have a number of opportunities to double their lead in the last 10 minutes, but failed to do so. However, they were already in complete control of the game at this point, and Celta looked a spent force.
Celta resolute, but fruitless in attack
One could argue that Celta deserved something from this game, given their determination and resilience throughout the 90 minutes. However, they were undoubtedly made to pay for a number of missed chances, particularly at the end of the first half. One positive for Fran Escribá is that his team do look organised - particularly defensively - which is more than can be said for the Galicians at this time last season.
Ødegaard makes the difference again
It wasn't the most spectacular day for Ødegaard or his team, but the Norwegian showed class throughout the match and constantly made life hard for the Celta defence. Sociedad's intricate forward play flows through him, and it was his beautiful through pass for Isak on 81 minutes that finally broke the deadlock.
Victory for Sociedad leaves them level on points with Barcelona and Atlético Madrid at the end of Jornada 10 of La Liga. Although sometimes lacking the killer instinct in front of goal, Imanol Alguacil's side have been a joy to watch so far this season, and showed today that they are capable of digging out a result in difficult circumstances.