Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images

A strong first half was enough to get back to winning ways Atlético Madrid secured a tight 2-1 win over Real Betis at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon, even though they were forced to suffer their way to the final whistle despite a strong first half.
An own goal from Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva gave Atleti the lead as Memphis Depay crossed to Mario Hermoso at the far post and the ball pinged around between Betis defenders before going in. Álvaro Morata would then miss a penalty but then make up for it by scoring a second before the break. Following that, Wiliam Carvalho produced a nail-biting ending by pulling one back with a magnificent shot from distance which beat Jan Oblak. Here are four talking points from the game.
1. Goodbye February, Atleti are back
The first 45 minutes of this game was much more like the Atleti that we?ve seen playing at home this season. Atleti looked confident and were playing free-flowing football to identify spaces in the back line of the Betis defence with ease.
That was what boosted Colchonero hopes quite so much. If Atleti needed to bounce back from a devastating defeat, this was the perfect example of how to do it. Post-match, Koke said ?after the hard blow in the Copa, we needed to win,? and it?s fair to say that it might almost have been an understatement.

Important win at home! pic.twitter.com/PnUGDHySUO? Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) Marc...