MADRID - Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez netted two penalties as they rallied to beat bottom side Real Valladolid 4-2 at a rainy Metropolitano on Monday to stay in the title hunt.
Third-placed Atletico have 63 points, three behind Real Madrid and seven adrift of Barcelona. Valladolid, who suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, are on 16 points, 14 points off the safety zone with seven games left.
"These are three important points," Atletico striker Alvarez told DAZN. "We have to keep going. Think about (Saturday's game at) Las Palmas, rest and focus. That's all.
"I had a few other chances for a hat-trick but the important thing is that we were able to win. At some point it got complicated, but we pulled it off."
Valladolid grabbed a surprise lead after 21 minutes when Mamadou Sylla calmly converted a penalty awarded following a VAR review for a handball by Clement Lenglet.
The advantage was short-lived as Alvarez equalised from the spot after another VAR intervention four minutes later following a foul by Javi Sanchez on Giuliano Simeone, who turned scorer himself to put Atletico ahead in the 27th minute.
But the visitors stunned Atletico once again by levelling in the 56th when Sanchez's free-kick took a deflection off Conor Gallagher in the wall, wrong-footing goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Atletico regained the lead in the 71st with another well taken Alvarez penalty after Henrique fouled Marcos Llorente, and the Argentina forward almost scored his third when goalkeeper Andre Ferreira blocked his low effort eight minutes later.
However substitute Alexander Sorloth pounced on the rebound to seal the win with a close-range finish.
"We competed well. We knew we were going to suffer. It's a pity they came back," Valladolid's Sanchez said.
"We have to keep going and continue in this vein. Leave the crest where it deserves to be. We have to take it one game at a time. Fight until the end ..."
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