Player Ratings: Espanyol 2-3 Atletico de Madrid

ESPANYOL

Kameni 5.5 - Not much he could have done about either Atlético goal and he made one good save from Pongolle, but also showed some nervy moments.

Sergio Sánchez 5.5 - Took his goal superbly as he chested the ball down and showed a striker's touch to draw the hosts level.

Jarque 5 - Was taken on an exposed on occasion and could have done better to deny Agüero for the winning goal as the ball could and should have been cleared.

Pareja 5.5 - Better than his partner at the back because he looked assured pushing up with some good passes, but was still not totally secure in defence.

Chica 6 - Showed that he is a player that can put his foot on the ball and provide the vision that could prove useful when Espanyol play decent strikers.

Ángel 5.5 - Did an effective job in front of the back four, but Mané decided that he wanted something different and withdrew the hard-working local player.

Moisés Hurtado 5.5 - Joined Ángel in front of the defence and he too looked effective for long periods only to not perform at crucial times.

Luis García 6 - Some classy touches were not enough and the forward should have been more involved than he ended up being.

Coro 5.5 - Was employed to play just behind Callejón but did not supply the front man with many good balls from which to test the keeper.

Nené 6 - Could have been the matchwinner had he involved himself more and some of his shots had Leo Franco having to be on form.

Callejón 4.5 - Flattered to deceive and is certainly no replacement for the injured Raúl Tamudo as a lone front-man.

Subs:

Smiljanic 5 - Was unable to have much of an influence when he came on and will be hoping for a longer run after the festive break.

Jonatan 5 - He too could not affect the match, but must believe that he could replaced Tamudo rather than Callejón.

ATLÉTICO

Leo Franco 6 - Did not have to make any spectacular saves, but he showed safe hands when making punches and keeping out some long-range efforts.

Perea 6.5 - Will have been pleased that not a lot more came his way, but he looked more settled than his partner.

Pablo 5.5 - Showed some nerves early on and never really looked settled and his confidence will have to increase as the season progresses.

Heitinga 5.5 - Not convincing either and if Espanyol had more about them then they could have exploited the Dutchman more.

Pernía 6 - Did not stop everything that came his way, but showed enough to ensure thatnone of his oversights led to any problems.

Assunçao 6.5 - Looked calm and in control when he had the ball and laid it off and found team-mates with assurity.

Maniche 6.5 - Could well have ended up with a couple of goals himself, but will have been happy with an good performance in the midfield.

Maxi 7.5 - Took his goal well and showed some very good toches going forward when Atleti needed to take the pressure off their defence.

Simão 6 - Showed glimpses of his ability, but did not test the full-back as much as he should have and will be looking forward to the Christmas break.

Forlán 5.5 - Worked hard but did not really help Agüero in an unusally quiet display from the Uruguayan and he was taken off.

Agüero 7.5 - The tenacity and perseverance he showed for the second Atleti goal proved why he is so highly rated and he could have netted before that.

Subs:

Pongolle 6.5 - Could have scored and then provided a superb pass for the third goal; could have done little more after coming on.

Raúl García 6 - A calming influence in the midfield as he sat in the centre to prevent Espanyol from being able to make a comeback.

Luis García - 5 - Did not have enough time to do anything incredible and will also want more minutes after the break to prove himself.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com



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