Ten-man Atletico Madrid edged Sevilla 1-0 at home on Saturday to ensure it entered the Spanish league winter break still in touch with the front-runners. The game in Spain's capital was originally scheduled for September but was postponed due to a forecast for bad weather. Halftime substitute Marcos Llorente made an immediate impact by scoring just a minute after the restart. Atletico then defended with poise while playing a man down for the final 20 minutes after substitute Caglar Soyuncu received a direct red card in the 70th. Premier League Standings 2023–24: Arsenal Still on Top of EPL Table After Drawing With Liverpool at Anfield.

“When you come off the bench you always try to give your team something extra,” Llorente said. “We only had winning on our minds. Now it is time to disconnect and then we are right back at it.”

Real Madrid and surprise package Girona are at the top of the standings with a seven-point lead over Atletico and Barcelona one round before the competition reaches its halfway point. Atletico had been in a bit of a slump after winning just one of its previous four league games.

Llorente used exquisite control of a long ball from Koke Resurrección before he finished off a rebound of his own pass to beat goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.

Soyuncu was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Lucas Ocampos after the Turkey international had been on the field for four minutes. Atletico defender Reinildo Mandava went on as a late substitute in his first appearance since needing surgery to repair a torn right-knee ligament in February. Premier League 2023–24: Liverpool Defender Kostas Tsimikas Injured After Colliding With Jurgen Klopp in Game Against Arsenal.

Sevilla was playing its second game under new coach Quique Sánchez Flores. It beat Getafe in his debut on Tuesday. Sevilla is three points above the relegation zone in 15th place. Atletico's next game is at Girona on Jan. 3, a day before Sevilla hosts Athletic Bilbao.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)