BARCELONA: Antoine Griezmann came off the bench and struck twice for Atletico Madrid to help his side beat Levante 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday.
Villarreal moved provisionally second with a 2-0 win at Espanyol, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico are fourth.
La Liga leaders Real Madrid travel across the capital to face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and champions Barcelona, third, are at Celta Vigo.
Atletico continued their 11 match unbeaten run in La Liga in part thanks to veteran forward Griezmann’s second-half impact on a hard-fought triumph.
Adrian de la Fuente’s own goal sent the hosts ahead at the Metropolitano stadium but Levante levelled through Manu Sanchez.
All-time Atletico top scorer Griezmann came on after an hour and hit a brace to earn his side all three points, taking them level with Barca.
“It’s hard for us to find solutions (in matches) sometimes, but those of us who come on from the bench are always bringing a boost,” Griezmann told Movistar.
“Teams that go far in all competitions do that because they have (good depth), and we all have to be ready, those who start and those who are on the bench.”
Griezmann has started just one of Atletico’s last five matches across all competitions, with Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth often preferred up front by Simeone.
“All players want to play, it’s normal, it’s what makes us happy. I have team-mates who want to play too, but no one sulks,” Griezmann told reporters.
