Falcao lifts Atletico

Atletico manager Diego Simeone was delighted with the workrate shown by his side as it held on for a 1-0 win over Espanyol despite playing 45 minutes with 10 men.

Radamel Falcao's 38th-minute penalty proved enough to reduce the gap to Barcelona at the top of the table back to 12 points, but Atletico was forced to do it the hard way after captain Gabi received a soft second yellow card in the final action of the first half.

"Once more I have to highlight how happy I am with the team's response," Simeone said. "It was a great collective effort. To hold on for 45 minutes is a long time against a team like Espanyol who arrived in such a rich vein of form.