Romero wins it late for Atleti after Perez red

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Alejandro Grimaldo fired Diego Simeone's side ahead but Alaves levelled shortly before the break thanks to Lucas Boye's penalty.

However, the hosts were up against it when Angel Perez saw red just after the hour, and Romero scored the winner thanks to a sublime cross from Alex Baena.

Jonathan David was unlucky to see a 14th-minute effort headed for the right corner well saved by Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera.

Ademola Lookman also went close twice before Atleti took the lead just after the half hour, with Grimaldo drilling into the bottom-right corner after being slipped in by David.

But Quintero Gonzalez awarded Alaves a penalty on the stroke of half-time when Robin Le Normand was judged to have hauled down Toni Martinez in the penalty area, and Boye dispatched his spot-kick past Jan Oblak.

Alaves was facing an uphill task just after the hour when Perez was sent off for an ugly lunge on Julian Alvarez, with Gonzalez upgrading from a yellow card after a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention.

Alvarez then saw a free-kick clip the left-hand post, but Atleti did find the winner with three minutes to go, Baena's stupendous outside-of-the-boot cross headed home at the back post by Romero.