Saturday 27 February 2016 23:14, UK
Real Madrid's title aspirations were dealt a huge blow as they slipped to a damaging 1-0 home defeat to Atletico in the Madrid derby on Saturday.
Los Rojiblancos were their usual resolute selves, as they kept Real at bay and caught them on the counter, with Antoine Griezmann grabbing the winner early in the second half.
As a result, Atleti became the first team in La Liga history to win three consecutive league matches at the Bernabeu, and maintained their unbeaten domestic run against Zinedine Zidane's men to eight.
Real are now nine points behind leaders Barcelona, having played a game more, while Atletico closed the gap to five with victory. Here we look at the talking points from a pivotal capital clash...
A defence for the big occasion
Champions League heartache aside, Atletico's recent domestic success over rivals Real is astonishing.
Atleti seem to relish the big occasion, especially their resolute rearguard. Whether it is stubbornly holding off Barcelona to secure a league title at the Nou Camp or keeping out Ronaldo and co once more in the capital, Diego Godin and his fellow defenders never let their concentration slip for a moment.
Two banks of four is what Simeone has built his big-game plans on, and once again his players executed the very definition of a solid system on Saturday, with underrated skipper Gabi once again organiser-in-chief.
What's more impressive about their defensive record - only Bayern Munich have conceded as few league goals in Europe - is that Jan Oblak is often merely a spectator. 15 goalkeepers in La Liga have had to make more saves that Atleti's Slovenian stopper.
Ronaldo fails on big stage again
Any criticism of Ronaldo has to be taken with a pinch of salt when you consider his incredible goalscoring exploits over the years, but when you delve a little deeper into his recent record against the cream of La Liga, it doesn't make for particularly impressive reading
Seven goals against top five last season is not the form of one of the world's best, but this season's return is even less flattering.
Ronaldo is yet to score against a team in the top five side this campaign, and again struggled with profligacy on Saturday - missing two glorious chances to equalise.
The other issue with the 31-year-old is that when the going gets tough, he can often disappear into petulant anonymity - the complete opposite to Atletico's teamwork-focused strategy - and such conduct is causing Madridistas to become further disillusioned with their talisman.
Deceptive strength in depth
Part of the thrill Diego Simeone is taking from another season fighting for the La Liga title is that only a handful of his players are household names, and they have mainly been recruited for a reasonable fee.
Key personnel in attack and defence sat on the bench in the Bernabeu, while Real only had an 18-year-old to turn to when Karim Benzema had to be withdrawn.
Tiago's injury meant Simeone had to add to his central midfield options, and in Augusto Fernandez, Simeone picked up another vital component to his multi-faceted squad.
The former Celta Vigo man has made the most tackles per game in La Liga this season, and was arguably the man of the match in the Bernabeu after another tireless display - providing further evidence of the wealth of options available to Simeone.
Are the other Real Madrid players good enough?
Ronaldo's astonishing attack on his team-mates in the aftermath of the Atletico defeat seems remarkably harsh and unhelpful to say the least - but does the Portuguese have a point?
Despite the millions spent, Real still rely a great deal on their key men, with Ronaldo the focal point. Without Benzema in attack against Malaga last week, and in the second half on Saturday, Real looked toothless.
Ronaldo singled out Jese, Mateo Kovacic and Lucas Vazquez, and it remains to be seen as to whether these squad players will make the grade.
Jese announced himself as an exciting youngster in 2011, but after making over 50 appearances for Real, his career has somewhat stagnated.
Vazquez and new arrival Kovacic have done little to suggest they are of the required calibre, and if these are the players Zidane has to turn to, then the Frenchman may have a bigger job on his hands than he first thought.
Form temporary, class permanent
The big occasion demands key players to stand up and be counted. Ronaldo again failed to do so at the Bernabeu, leaving the stage free for Griezmann to prove his doubters wrong.
Such doubts over the sustained quality of the France international have come to light as Griezmann remained goalless for five games in all competitions coming into Saturday's encounter, having not registered a shot on target in the league since the end of January.
However, despite seeing little of the ball, Griezmann was the best attacking player on the pitch, having almost broken the deadlock with a brilliant strike in the first half, before he started and finished the move which won the match just after half-time.
And, as we come into the business end of the season, Griezmann will be out to prove that his stock is worthy of such high regard.
