Atletico Madrid kept their slim LaLiga title hopes alive with a dominant 3-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Metropolitano on Wednesday night.
Alexander Sørloth opened the scoring inside three minutes, overpowering his marker to head home Giuliano Simeone’s cross.
The Norwegian striker was a constant threat early on, nearly grabbing a hat-trick within the first 10 minutes.
Despite a brief spell of pressure from Rayo, Atletico remained in control. Conor Gallagher doubled the lead just before half-time, glancing in Rodrigo De Paul’s cross to give Diego Simeone’s men breathing space.
Julián Alvarez capped off a convincing display with a well-taken third in the 77th minute, slotting home after being set up by Antoine Griezmann.
The result leaves Atletico 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid with five games remaining, while Rayo remain 11th but still in contention for a European spot, sitting just three points off seventh place.
