Celta Vigo 1-2 Atletico Madrid: Correa at the double as LaLiga champions start with a win

Atletico Madrid started the defence of their LaLiga title with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo, aided by Angel Correa's double and a dreadful miss from Iago Aspas.

Correa struck either side of Aspas' penalty before both teams had a player sent off in stoppage time, Mario Hermoso and Hugo Mallo seeing red after a confrontation between the pair.

Matters might have been a little easier for Atleti if not for a rather soft Celta spot-kick, Marcos Llorente harshly adjudged to have handled.

Correa – starting up top with Luis Suarez on the bench – ultimately settled the contest with a cool finish, though Aspas sliced wide of an open goal with 10 minutes remaining to let Diego Simeone's side off the hook.

The game's first shot on target led to the first goal. Thomas Lemar's fantastic run teed up Correa, who slammed a brilliant finish high into the net, leaving Matias Dituro flat-footed.

However, Celta had a lifeline 11 minutes into the second half. Jan Oblak flapped at a cross and Aspas was only able to divert it, from point-blank range, onto the chest of Llorente.

The ball bounced down onto the midfielder's knee and up to his forearm, yet despite there being little possibility of Llorente getting out of the way, referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero pointed to the spot after consulting the VAR.

Aspas rolled in a cool finish to send the limited-capacity crowd wild, though parity lasted just five minutes as Correa drilled in a fantastic second after he was found by Saul Niguez.

It was Correa's final act too, with Suarez, alongside new signing Rodrigo de Paul, immediately coming on.

Suarez skied a free-kick and Aspas should have made Atleti's profligacy pay, only to somehow miss the target with half of the goal to aim at.

There was more drama late in stoppage time following a foul by Mallo on Suarez, leading to him getting involved with Hermoso. Both were dismissed for violent conduct, but Atletico's 10 men held on.

In true Atletico fashion, this was a performance of typical grit, steel and scrappy tricks as they held out for the win.

It was hardly the most convincing of performances – they ended the match with 46.8 per cent possession – but few opponents can out-battle them, as demonstrated by the visitors' 60.7 per cent duel success rate.

The flashpoint at the end means Hermoso will have to serve a suspension, while a red card was also brandished to a member of Atletico's backroom staff before the final whistle was eventually blown. Some things just never change, and Simeone's team certainly fall into that category.

Correa continues his hot streak

Correa has now scored seven times in his last nine LaLiga appearances, more goals than he had managed across his previous 49 games in the competition.

With Suarez not deemed ready to start, he filled the void with a magnificent opener, then showed great poise and composure to find the corner for what turned out to be Atleti's winner.

Oblak's blushes spared by misfiring Aspas

Making his 304th appearance for Atleti – a club-record for a goalkeeper – Oblak looked unusually sloppy at times, especially when Celta piled numbers into the box at set-pieces, with one such situation leading to the penalty.

Indeed, Oblak was on the turf in the six-yard box when Aspas looked all set to equalise for a second time, but the Celta talisman, who has now netted his last nine penalties in LaLiga, capped a hot-and-cold performance with a dismal finish.

What's next?

Atleti welcome Elche to the Wanda Metropolitano next Sunday, while Celta visit Osasuna in their second game of the season.