Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Los Colchoneros defeat visitors to tighten grip on fourth spot

Atletico Madrid extended their lead to six points over Athletic Club in the battle for the final Champions League qualification spot by defeating the Basque team 3-1 at the Metropolitano.

Atletico, who had lost all three previous encounters this season without scoring, quickly took the lead by scoring the opening goal within the first 15 minutes.

Rodrigo De Paul's half-volley from the edge of the box beat Unai Simon with a deflection off an Athletic defender's head.

Despite Atletico looking set to go into halftime with a narrow lead, Athletic equalized just before the break with Nico Williams scoring from Gorka Guruzeta's delivery.

Diego Simeone's side regained the lead early in the second half through Angel Correa, who converted Koke's precise pass.

An own goal from Simon sealed the victory for Atletico, giving them a comfortable six-point lead with only five games left in the season.

On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao's winless streak extended to four matches, with their away winless run against Atletico now standing at 13 games.