Eyeing up a second-place finish in La Liga, Atletico raced to a three-goal advantage in what was a relatively comfortable first half for the visitors.
Nahuel Molina started the scoring for Diego Simeone’s side when the full-back kept his cool in front of goal to slide the opener beyond Jordi Masip between the Valladolid sticks.
Having provided the assist for the first goal, Jose María Gimenez got his own name on the scoresheet midway through the half, when the defender delicately lofted a well-timed header over Masip to make it two.
In cruise control, the much-maligned Alvaro Morata found time to net his first goal since mid-March, sweeping home a pin-point Antoine Griezmann cutback.
What had looked like being the perfect half for Simeone’s side took a turn for the worse just before the break, when Antonio Mateu Lahoz, often the centre of controversy, awarded the home side a questionable penalty.
Going down under minimal contact inside the 18-yard box, Gonzalo Plata’s theatrics appeared to hoodwink Lahoz, who needed little hesitation to point to the spot. Regardless, Cyle Larin stepped up for Valladolid, converting with ease from 12 yards to set up an intriguing second half.
Gifted a route back into the contest before the interval, Valladolid continued to pressurise the visitors’ backline, eventually breaching Atletico’s second-half resistance with 25 minutes left on the clock.
On hand to head home from a whipped cross into the penalty area, substitute Sergio Escudero, who had been brought on by Valladolid boss Paulo Pezzolano minutes earlier, sent the Jose Zorrilla Stadium into raptures, as hopes of a famous comeback began to grow.
However, despite Valladolid’s links to a Gothic past, there would be no fantasy ending for Pucela, as a double dagger to the home side’s heart ended all chances of a comeback.
In the wrong place at the wrong time, Joaquin Fernandez could do little but watch on as his mistimed clearance trundled past Masip into an empty net, before Memphis Depay wrapped the points up in style with a swift counter-attacking goal deep into added time.
It was a brave, but ultimately unsuccessful fightback from Valladolid, whose quest to secure top-flight status will continue against Rayo Vallecano in midweek.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
