Griezmann on form as Atletico Madrid see of Rayo Vallecano at the Calderon

Griezmann on form as Atletico Madrid see of Rayo Vallecano at the Calderon

Antoine Griezmann was the key figure in Atletico Madrid's demolition of Rayo Vallecano at the Vicente Calderon.

This was nowhere near as cagey as the goalless draw these teams shared at the start of the season and a large part of that was thanks to the Frenchman's pace and direct running.

You can't afford to let him get away from you, but that's what Rayo did, allowing him space on the left to slot into the bottom left corner. 

The second was similar, with Griezmann racing behind the defence and firing past the goalkeeper with the outside of his left boot. 

He created the third goal too with a corner that was put through his own net by Manucho. 

In between, Paco Jemez's side had scored, Roberto Trashorras - a former Barcelona player - giving the game a momentary intrigue.

This was a one-sided affair in truth and the score should have been 4-1, when substitute Fernando Torres ran through, but fluffed his lines and allowed the Rayo keeper to gratefully jump on top of the ball.

Atletico are three points behind Barcelona and four behind Real Madrid. 

While Diego Simeone's side aren't leading the way, they're keeping close enough to pounce on any mistakes made by La Liga's frontrunners.