Match ends, Atlético de Madrid 1, Valencia CF 1.
Atl MadridAtlético Madrid1ValenciaValencia1
Atletico Madrid's chances of retaining their La Liga title suffered a blow as they were held at home by Valencia to slip seven points behind new leaders Barcelona.
Koke fired Atletico into a first-half lead as Diego Simeone's side chased a sixth straight home league win.
Valencia equalised through Shkodran Mustafi's 78th-minute header before defender Javi Fuego was sent off.
The visitors held on to stay just one point behind Atletico in fourth place.
Barcelona's 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano earlier in the day had put the pressure on Atletico not to slip up with the two sides due to meet on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Despite missing the suspended Antoine Griezmann, who has scored 17 times this season, Simeone started with 20-goal top scorer Mario Mandzukic on the bench.
That meant a chance for former Chelsea and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, despite his failure to score in La Liga since returning to the Vicente Calderon on loan from AC Milan in January.
Torres, 30, gave no shortage of effort without seriously threatening to break his duck before being replaced by Mandzukic after an hour.
However, he did play a part in Koke's goal, heading down a free-kick for Tiago Mendes to lay the ball off for the Spain international to thump a right-footed shot into the bottom corner from 16 yards.
Valencia showed little of the form that had seen them climb the table to challenge Atletico's hold on a top-three place and automatic Champions League qualification.
Atletico should have doubled their lead 20 minutes from time when Tiago volleyed against the bar from close range after Diego Godin had headed a corner back across the face of goal.
But that miss proved costly when Mustafi headed in after a long-range free-kick had come back off the crossbar.
Fuego then picked up a second caution in the 89th minute but Valencia extended their unbeaten run to five games to stay in the hunt for automatic Champions League qualification.
Real Sociedad beat Espanyol 1-0 as David Moyes' side made it three wins from their last four home games.
Sergio Canales got the only goal as Sociedad climbed to 11th, one place and two points behind Espanyol.
Villarreal stayed on course for a place in next season's Europa League as they beat mid-table Celta Vigo 4-1 to move to within a point of fifth-placed Sevilla.
Giovani dos Santos opened the scoring as Villarreal bounced back from the disappointment of losing to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey to hand Celta their first defeat in six games.
Mateo Musacchio, top scorer Luciano Vietto and Gerard Moreno were also on target.
Line-ups
Atl Madrid
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Moyá Rumbo
- 20Torres Belén
- 24Giménez de Vargas
- 2GodínBooked at 88mins
- 3SiqueiraBooked at 57mins
- 10Turan
- 14Fernández ArenasSubstituted forJiménezat 81'minutes
- 5Cardoso Mendes
- 6KokeSubstituted forSuárezat 69'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 8Garcia Escudero
- 19TorresBooked at 17minsSubstituted forMandzukicat 61'minutesBooked at 71mins
Substitutes
- 4Suárez
- 9Mandzukic
- 11Jiménez
- 13Oblak
- 18Gámez
- 22Gracia Calmache
- 28Hernández
Valencia
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Alves Carreira
- 19BarragánBooked at 88mins
- 5MustafiBooked at 31mins
- 23OtamendiBooked at 56mins
- 31Gayá Peña
- 10Parejo
- 18Fuego MartínezBooked at 90mins
- 15PérezBooked at 45minsSubstituted forAndré Gomesat 68'minutes
- 8FeghouliSubstituted forRodrigoat 58'minutes
- 7NegredoBooked at 50mins
- 11PiattiBooked at 34minsSubstituted forOrbanat 90+1'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Cancelo
- 4Augusto
- 6Orban
- 13Rodríguez Oterino
- 17Rodrigo
- 20de Paul
- 21André Gomes
- Referee:
- Santiago Jaime Latre
- Attendance:
- 49,500
Match Stats
Home TeamAtl MadridAway TeamValencia
- Possession
- Home45%
- Away55%
- Shots
- Home8
- Away3
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away1
- Corners
- Home6
- Away1
- Fouls
- Home22
- Away19
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Atlético de Madrid 1, Valencia CF 1.
Post update
José Gayá (Valencia CF) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Foul by Raúl García (Atlético de Madrid).
Booking
Mario Suárez (Atlético de Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Álvaro Negredo (Valencia CF) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Mario Suárez (Atlético de Madrid).
Post update
Offside, Atlético de Madrid. Arda Turan tries a through ball, but Mario Mandzukic is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Valencia CF. Lucas Orban replaces Pablo Piatti.
Dismissal
Second yellow card to Javi Fuego (Valencia CF) for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Javi Fuego (Valencia CF).
Post update
Raúl Jiménez (Atlético de Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Booking
Antonio Barragán (Valencia CF) is shown the yellow card.
Booking
Diego Godín (Atlético de Madrid) is shown the yellow card.
Booking
Javi Fuego (Valencia CF) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Javi Fuego (Valencia CF).
Post update
Arda Turan (Atlético de Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Offside, Atlético de Madrid. Raúl Jiménez tries a through ball, but Juanfran is caught offside.
Post update
Attempt missed. Álvaro Negredo (Valencia CF) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by José Gayá with a cross.
Post update
Javi Fuego (Valencia CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
