Atlético Madrid earned a narrow victory over Espanyol with a late goal on Saturday at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella. Alejandro Baena Rodríguez scored the only goal of the match in the 89th minute, assisted by Julián Álvarez.

The match saw Atlético Madrid dominate possession with 71%, while Espanyol managed just 29%. Atlético Madrid created more chances, registering 6 shots on target compared to Espanyol's 2.

In terms of discipline, Atlético Madrid received five yellow cards, with Morten Hjulmand, Lee Kang-In, Cristian Romero, Alejandro Baena Rodríguez, and Rodrigo Mendoza all cautioned. Espanyol's Roger Hinojo and Unai Núñez were also booked in the second half.

Key statistics included Atlético Madrid having 12 corners to Espanyol's 4. The expected goals (xG) were 1.3 for Atlético Madrid and 0.5 for Espanyol, reflecting the visitors' attacking efficiency.

Before this match, Atlético Madrid were in second place with 19 points from 8 games, while Espanyol were in 12th with 8 points from the same number of matches.