Real Madrid have already lost twice in La Liga this season. Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano followed a 1-0 loss at Real Betis on 4 September and left Mourinho’s side on 15 points from seven games.

Atletico’s win moved Diego Simeone’s side into second on 16 points, level with Real Betis and five behind Barcelona.

Hansi Flick’s side beat Sevilla 3-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan at the weekend to make it seven wins from seven. Raphinha’s hat-trick did the damage after Youssouf Fofana had put Sevilla ahead in the 19th minute. The Brazilian now leads La Liga with 12 goals in seven matches.

The derby turned on Huijsen’s red card

Atletico had not managed a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes at the Metropolitano. Everything shifted early in the second half, when Dean Huijsen pulled Giuliano Simeone down inside the penalty area and was sent off after a VAR review. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the penalty in the 53rd minute, and six minutes later Jonathan David swept in Giuliano Simeone’s low cross to make it 2-0. Antonio Rudiger’s 89th-minute header from a Bernardo Silva delivery cut the deficit, but Real Madrid did not seriously threaten an equaliser.

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Simeone and Mourinho clashed over the officiating

Diego Simeone singled out his summer loan signing from Juventus.

“I’m really happy for Jonathan (David); he gives us the depth to push as far as we can,” Simeone told his press conference.

Mourinho spent much of his own press conference on the officiating. He held up photographs at the podium showing an Atletico stamp on Jude Bellingham and a tackle by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde that he said should have been red cards.

“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, according to Sky Sports, adding that the referee was “aged 41, with no international experience.”

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Simeone was asked about the criticism.

“We respect whatever others may say, but we must bear in mind that Flick, Mourinho, Pellegrini and Simeone are in a privileged position,” he said.

The number that will worry Mourinho

Mourinho, who returned to the Bernabeu in June on a three-year deal, now has to close ground on a Barcelona side that has not dropped a point.

Real Madrid’s expected-goals figure of 0.32 at the Metropolitano was their lowest in a La Liga match since February 2015, according to Opta.

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