Grimaldo and Giuliano Simeone give Atletico a 0-2 win in Valencia to confirm them as leaders

VAR wiped out a goal in the 15th minute, but Atletico Madrid didn't need much more time to take care of business on the road at the Ciutat de Valencia. A left-footed strike from Alejandro Grimaldo into the top corner and a finish from Giuliano Simeone sealed a 0-2 win that leaves Diego Simeone's side atop LaLiga.

The match opened with Levante on the front foot, looking for Karl Etta Eyong with crosses from the wings, but it was Atletico that found the net first. Morten Hjulmand scored in the 15th minute, though a VAR review disallowed the goal a minute later and the score stayed level. Luis Castro's team didn't fade entirely: before halftime they had tried their luck through Dani Requena and Thiago Fernandez, without success.

The home side's resistance broke in the 35th minute: Alejandro Grimaldo received the ball on the left side of the box and curled a left-footed shot into the top corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance. Atletico went into the break up 0-1, a scoreline that fairly reflected the first half, which also saw chances for Hjulmand and Lee Kang-In go unconverted.

The second half and Simeone's clincher

Levante came out with more intent after the break, with shots from Jon Ander Olasagasti and Karl Etta Eyong that didn't cause much alarm, while Julian Alvarez answered with a shot that was saved. The game was decided in the 61st minute: Alex Baena slipped in a through ball and Giuliano Simeone finished with his left foot from the middle of the box to make it 0-2.

With a two-goal cushion, Diego Simeone turned to his bench, bringing on Jonathan David, Alexander Sorloth, Robin Le Normand and Ademola Lookman, while Luis Castro used all his substitutions trying to close the gap, sending on Petar Ratkov, Victor Garcia, Oriol Rey and Adrian de la Fuente. Levante kept pushing until the end, with several shots from Roger Brugue and a late attempt from Ivan Romero in stoppage time, but couldn't find a way past the opposing goalkeeper.

What the numbers say

Levante had more of the ball at times and put together more shots, but Atletico was sharper in front of goal and controlled the overall possession of the match.

According to our post-match xG estimate based on the shots taken, Levante generated 1.597 expected goals to Atletico's 0.911, a figure that contrasts with the final score and makes sense given the 20 shots the home side took, though without the precision needed to turn that into goals.

Going into the match, our model projected a 58% chance of an away win, a 24% chance of a draw and an 18% chance for Levante, with a combined expected goals total of 3.09 (2.02 for Atletico and 1.08 for the home side). The result lined up with our projection, a clear Atletico win, though with fewer total goals than expected.

What the result means in the standings

Atletico Madrid moved to 28 points through 11 matches (9 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) and remains at the top of LaLiga. Levante, meanwhile, stayed at 10 points after 11 rounds (2 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses), an 18-point gap between the two clubs that reflects where each stands in the league right now.