Atletico Madrid go provisionally top after 2-0 win at Levante

Seven straight league wins is the part that jumps out, but the broader case for Atletico Madrid looks just as convincing after Saturday's 2-0 result away to Levante. The win at the Ciutat de València on 31 October moved Atletico onto 28 points after 11 rounds, according to the match reports, and extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches. At this stage, that is starting to look like more than a tidy early run.

The numbers behind Atletico's start

The verified league input had Atletico on 25 points from 10 matches before kick-off, with an 8-1-1 record, a +12 goal difference and only 8 goals conceded. Add the win from Levante vs Atletico Madrid, and the reports placing them provisionally first in La Liga make sense.

There is a small discrepancy in how the standings were presented across sources, but the shape of the season is clear enough. Atletico were already putting together title-challenging numbers before this trip, and the trip ended with another three points.

The winning run also needs a little sorting rather than any correction. One report framed it as nine matches unbeaten in all competitions. Another called it seven consecutive league wins. SPORT1 described it as eight wins from the previous nine competitive matches. Those are different timeframes, not contradictory claims, and all of them point in the same direction: Diego Simeone's team are stacking results at speed.

Grimaldo and Giuliano finished the job

The goals themselves were straightforward. Alejandro Grimaldo scored in the 36th minute, then Giuliano Simeone added the second in the 62nd after the restart.

Foot Mercato, quoting in translation from French, reported: "Atlético de Madrid signed a new victory on the pitch of Levante (2-0), this Saturday, thanks to a goal from Alejandro Grimaldo in the 36th minute of play and another from Giuliano Simeone after the restart."

Grimaldo's goal also fits his season. He now has 4 in La Liga, which is a healthy return from deep areas and another sign Atletico are getting contributions from more than one source. Giuliano Simeone is on 2 league goals, and this one helped turn control into a clean away win.

A defence giving them real staying power

Attack gets the highlights, but the defensive line is what gives this start real weight. Atletico had conceded only 8 league goals before this fixture, and that sort of base tends to travel well across a season. You can win a run of games through form. Staying near the top usually needs fewer soft afternoons without the ball.

There was also a personal milestone for the coach. SPORT1 reported, in comments translated from German, that Diego Simeone moved level with Luis Aragonés on 344 La Liga wins as a coach.

That record is secondary to the table, though, and the table is where the message sits. Atletico have seven league wins in a row, nine matches unbeaten in all competitions, and a 2-0 away win over Levante that left them provisionally first on 28 points after 11 rounds.