The hard-fought 1-1 draw between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid brought them within three points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. This season, neither Real Madrid nor their neighbours have lost a home game.

The first half was very tight, and neither team had many chances. The guests had trouble making clear-cut chances and had to rely on long shots. The home team only had one real chance to score against Real Madrid, and it came from Julian Alvarez.

The game looked like it was going to end in a tie until Eder Militao scored for the guests just after the hour mark. On the left side, Vinicius Jr. got free and chipped the ball to the back post, where Militao was ready to score with a blocked shot.

It was the first time this season that Diego Simeone’s team had given up a home league goal, and Carlo Ancelotti’s young, bright team almost got all three points. In the end, both teams got a point because Angel Correa, a substitute, scored a late goal. Here are the player scores and highlights from a very heated game in Madrid.

Thibaut Courtois – 6/10

It was a quiet night for the Belgian shot-stopper until the final 10 minutes. The defensive unit in front of him limited Atletico to very few chances, with the majority of Courtois’ work coming from long-range efforts.

Dani Carvajal – 5/10

Caught in no man’s land on a couple of occasions as he was stuck between inverting into midfield and tracking the runner on the wing. Carvajal was solid in possession but had a difficult night without the ball.

Antonio Rudiger – 6/10

Was beaten far too easily by Alvarez in the first-half but was bailed out by Courtois’ low save. Rudiger regained his composure and had a relatively quiet game after that point. Could have tracked Correa’s run better for the last-gasp goal.

Eder Militao – 8/10

Broke the deadlock when the game looked destined for a stalemate. His well-taken volley was too powerful for Oblak to deny. The Brazilian defender was assured and confident in his work in front of Courtois as well.

Ferland Mendy – 6/10

Made a couple of key blocks when the hosts looked threatening from long range. Mendy didn’t have too much to deal with until a late barrage from the home side.

Federico Valverde – 7/10

The energetic Uruguayan popped up in almost every position imaginable, whether it be in the middle of his own box to block an opposing player’s shot, or galivanting up the right wing to provide additional attacking support.

Luka Modric – 5/10

Walked the tight-rope after picking up a first-half booking for a late challenge on Gallagher. His passing and intelligent movement haven’t slowed down, although the Croatian certainly tired in the latter stages.

Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10

A routine evening in the middle of the park for the French international. His composed passing kept playing ticking along as he allowed the more attack-minded midfielders to get forward and threaten the opposition’s goal.

Jude Bellingham – 6/10

Many expected him to take up an advanced role with Los Blancos’ lack of a recognised number nine, but Bellingham was often seen drifting into deeper positions to pick the ball up from the defence to start attacking moves.

Rodrygo – 6/10

Rodrygo was the closest thing Real Madrid had to a traditional centre-forward throughout the derby, as he often drifted into the number nine role with Valverde overlapping constantly on the right. Struggled to have a significant impact inside the Atleti penalty area.

Vinicius Jr – 7/10

Along with his compatriot, Vinicius Jr. was burdened with a lot of the attacking responsibility in Kylian Mbappe’s absence, just as he did in the previous season. Drifting inside and using his direct dribbling ability, the Brazil international caused many problems for the opposition and had defenders on their toes throughout.

SUB – Lucas Vazquez – N/A

Failed to help to see out the match in the closing stages, although barely touched the ball after replacing Modric.

SUB – Endrick – N/A

Brought on with just a few minutes left in the game. The youngster almost sealed the victory with a powerful effort after immediately flying into a brave tackle.

SUB – Fran Garcia – N/A

Another late arrival who was given little time to show what he could do.

Man of the Match

Eder Militao

It’s hard to look past the goalscorer for the away side when naming the Player of the Match. Eder Militao fired home a vital goal that could really kick-start Real Madrid’s title defence as they looked to capitalise on Barcelona’s slip-up against Osasuna.

The centre-back’s incredible speed and awareness meant he didn’t find himself in too many challenging defensive positions, and he took his goal well. Marcos Llorente had a strong game but just missed out on the award after being dismissed in the dying stages for a poor challenge.