Levante made more chances than usual and still lost to Atletico

Atletico Madrid won 2-0 at Levante, who created more than their usual share of chances but could not turn any of them into a goal.

Levante had more attacking work than they usually manage at home and still went home without a goal. They took 20 shots in a match where they normally average 11.1, yet none of them found the net. Atletico Madrid were the side that finished their chances, and the scoreline reflects that more than the volume of Levante's shooting.

Atletico's first goal came in the 36th minute, when Alejandro Grimaldo scored. Earlier, a goal by Morten Hjulmand had been ruled out in the 17th minute after a video review, so the match stayed goalless for longer than it might have. Giuliano Simeone Baldini doubled the lead at 62 minutes, with Alejandro Baena Rodríguez providing the assist.

Expected goals, a measure of how good a chance is based on where and how it was taken, put Levante at 1.31 for the match. That is above their usual 1.0, so their chances were of better quality than they normally produce. Only four of their shots were on target, though, and J. Oblak made four saves to keep Atletico ahead.

Atletico took a different route to the same result. They had 10 shots, well below the 17.4 they average when playing away, and their expected goals of 0.6 sat under their usual 1.16. They conceded nothing, where they normally concede 0.8 on their travels, which tells us their defending held up even as their attack produced less than usual.

Levante had 45% of the ball, close to their usual 42.7%, so the jump in shots cannot be put down to them simply having more possession. Atletico had 55%, which is below the 59.7% they average away. The ball was shared in a way that is ordinary for both clubs, and the difference lay in the shooting and the finishing.

Grimaldo and Simeone scored, and Baena was the most creative player on the pitch for Atletico, creating three chances. For Levante, Marcos Llorente won eight duels on the Atletico side, but the home team's Ifeanyi Ndukwe had the most duels won among their players with six. Two goals in a match is below the league average of three per game, which suggests a tight, low-scoring contest.

Levante sit 15th in the table with 10 points from 10 matches, while Atletico are second on 25. Atletico have won eight of their 10 away games. Levante have won two of their 10 home games, and they have conceded 19 goals in those matches, so the attacking spark seen here has yet to show up consistently in the results.

Player of the matchG. Simeone1 goal7.8

Álex Grimaldo1 goal7.8

Álex Baena1 assist7.7

J. Oblak4 saves7.6