Joao Felix scored twice as Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis 3-1 at Estadio Benito Villamarin to climb above their opponents into fourth place in LaLiga.
Barcelona's 2-1 win over Elche earlier on Sunday had knocked Betis down to fourth, and Atleti were out of the Champions League qualification berths entirely.
That increased the pressure on Diego Simeone's men to pick up a third win in a row, and they went in front inside two minutes thanks to Joao Felix's tap-in.
Betis substitute Cristian Tello equalised from the final kick of the first half, but Joao Felix netted another just after the hour mark and Thomas Lemar sealed the win for Atleti late on.
Joao Felix opened his account from close range with just 74 seconds on the clock – Atleti's earliest league goal since July 2020 – after being picked out by Angel Correa.
The visitors wasted a big chance to add a second when Yannick Carrasco somehow failed to pick out either Joao Felix or Renan Lodi alongside him in a three-on-one attack.
A simple finish
Soon after Jose Maria Gimenez's headed clearance ricocheted off Paul Akouokou and flew over the bar, Tello had Betis on level terms with a curling first-time shot from 20 yards.
Gimenez headed against the base of the post for Simeone's side, who were having to adjust to losing Correa and Sime Vrsaljko to injury inside the opening half an hour.
Atleti restored their lead with 61 minutes on the clock through another simple finish for Joao Felix, this time after being teed up by Marcos Llorente.
Copa del Rey finalists Betis pushed for a leveller, but tiredness crept in and Antoine Griezmann pulled the ball back for Lemar to seal three vital points for Atletico in the 80th minute.
