Atletico Madrid on Saturday edged Valencia 1-0 in a tight contest that extends their domestic winning streak to six matches.
The win gave Atletico a step ahead of the La Liga leaders Real Sociedad
Diego Simeone’s side stay second but are equal on 23 points with Sociedad with a game in hand on the leaders thanks to Toni Lato’s own goal 11 minutes from time.
Stingy Atletico have conceded just twice in their nine league matches so far this season and have only scored two less than La Liga top scorers Sociedad, who host third-placed Villarreal on Sunday.
“We have made huge progress since April, since that wonderful match at Liverpool,” said Simeone, referring to the Champions League last 16 tie his team won 4-2 on aggregate.
“The return to La Liga (after the first lockdown) was very good and the team was already starting to show encouraging signs. This is the result of the progression of all of the players.”