Angel Correa came off the bench to score one and make another as Atletico Madrid climbed back into the La Liga’s top four with a 2-1 win at Real Betis on Sunday.

The red-and-white half of Madrid were in the doldrums after a home defeat to Barcelona a month ago but have since qualified for the Champions League last-16 where they can savour the chance of measuring themselves against Liverpool, and have now climbed back into the Liga reckoning.

European champions Liverpool travel to Madrid in February for their Champions League match and will have noted the combativity and commitment inspired by Atletico’s feisty Argentine coach Diego Simeone.

“Correa showed what he’s made of today, we’ve been training him hard. He put on good pressure to get the first goal and a nice pass for the second,” said Simeone.

It might have been sunny and warm in the southern Spanish town Seville where Betis play but Christmas was in the air as fans threw thousand of toys onto the pitch for local charities.

The goals all came after the break as second-half sub Correa came on for struggling France international Thomas Lemar on 56 minutes and scored with his first touch of the game to set Atletico on the road to a third straight win.

Alvaro Morata gave Atletico a 2-0 lead late on before a stoppage time consolation strike for the home fans came from Marc Bartra.

It also ended five straight away draws for Atletico, who have managed just 20 goals in the first half of the season since they sold star striker Antoine Griezmann to Barca in the summer.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad withstood an attempted comeback by 10-man Osasuna to earn a 4-3 away victory that kept them one point behind Atletico in fifth place.

Sociedad led by three goals after Mikel Oyarzabal, Cristian “Portu” Portugues, and Martin Odegaard all scored in the opening half hour.

But Osasuna rallied to 3-2 before defender Facundo Roncaglia was sent off with a direct red card for elbowing an opponent in the face with 20 minutes left. Substitute Alexander Isak made it 4-2.

Chimy Avila scored his second goal for Osasuna with an excellent solo effort, lifting the ball over a defender and heading it into the corner of the net in the 84th.

Espanyol lost 2-0 at Leganes in a clash between the bottom two teams in the league.

Last-place Espanyol is three points behind Leganés and five points from safety.

Agencies


Spanish League results on Sunday:

Real Betis 1 (Bartra 90+3) Atletico Madrid 2 (Correa 58, Morata 84)

Leganes 2 (Braithwaite 11, En-Nesyri 54) Espanyol 0

Osasuna 3 (Ariadne 45+1, Avila 49, 84) Real Sociedad 4 (Oyarzabal 15, Portu 18, Odegaard 28, Isak 79).