Unbeaten in their last 13 LaLiga matches on home soil, Ernesto Valverde’s men knew a victory over mid-table Alaves would see them leapfrog Atletico Madrid into fourth place.
Despite that incentive, it was the visitors who came closest to an early opener, with Jon Guridi’s close-range header superbly thwarted by Unai Simon.
Alaves continued to threaten but spurned a glorious chance to take the lead when Luis Rioja saw a spot-kick parried away by Simon after Nico Williams had brought down Andoni Gorosabel in the box.
The Babazorros were immediately made to rue that missed opportunity, as Guruzeta put the hosts ahead just a minute later, finishing confidently after an excellent cut-back from Nico Williams.
Armed with the momentum, Athletic swiftly doubled their lead, with Guruzeta racing onto a loose ball in the box and sweeping a clinical strike into the bottom corner for his second of the evening.
Faced with an uphill task, Alaves looked to gain a foothold in the match during the early stages of the second half, but it was the hosts who nearly added a third through Inaki Williams’ near-post header.
Unbeaten when scoring first in LaLiga this season (W13, D3), Athletic showed no signs of letting up as time ticked into the final half-hour, limiting the visitors to little of note in the final third.
The contest ultimately fizzled out, with the hosts easing through the closing stages to extend their impressive league form to just two defeats since mid-October (W11, D6).
Alaves, meanwhile, will be keen to bounce back against Real Sociedad following the international break after their dismal record in away meetings extended to one win in the last 13 meetings (D3, L9).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gorka Guruzeta (Athletic Club)
