Real reasserts order over Atl¨¦tico

Despite spirited resistance from Quique S¨¢nchez Flores' Atl¨¦tico Madrid, first-half goals from Ricardo Carvalho and Mesut ?zil consigned the rojiblancos to an 18th consecutive Madrid derbi without tasting victory against eternal rival Real. Voices of optimism had been raised by the Atl¨¦tico camp before the 146th league meeting between the two teams but these were emphatically shot down when ?zil curled a free kick past a static David de Gea before 20 minutes had elapsed to put the game out of Atl¨¦tico's reach. Minutes beforehand Real's build-up play resulted in a ricochet off Czech defender Tomas Ujfalusi, which dropped kindly at the feet of Ricardo Carvalho, the Portuguese accepting the gift to slot cooly home in his finest game in a Real shirt to date. He would later be replaced after a hefty blow to the face.

De Gea would embellish his standing as Iker Casillas' heir apparent late on, withstanding a Real onslaught in the final five minutes, but the Spain captain was in the sort of form that kept his country's goals-against column in the World Cup knock-out stages empty, making smart saves from both Diego Forl¨¢n and Jos¨¦ Antonio Reyes in the first period. Sergio Ag¨¹ero, with five goals in his last four games, felt he had earned a chance to test Casillas' reflexes from close quarters when his shot met Xabi Alonso's hand but the penalty appeal was waved away. Atl¨¦tico's evening was summed up in microcosm at the end of the half: a free kick in a dangerous position finding its way back to De Gea in two touches.

Both Gonzalo Higua¨ªn and Diego Forl¨¢n saw an unstoppable effort apiece smash against an upright in the second half and for all Ag¨¹ero's industry Atl¨¦tico could not match Real's slick passing as it tormented its visitor. Tricks and flicks abounded and although Cristiano Ronaldo's cheeky pass to Alonso off his back was taken as an affront by Atl¨¦tico's players, the real insult had been sealed long before in Real's overall superiority.

In the post-match press conference, Jos¨¦ Mourinho was asked if only the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea can beat his Real. "Murcia might beat us [in the King's Cup on Wednesday]," he replied. "We are not a perfect team yet. What I don't want is for us to gift somebody a win."

"Two errors led to two quick goals - that was the key," said Forl¨¢n, lamenting Atl¨¦tico had done just that. "It wasn't by their virtue." Nonetheless, Mourinho is still unbeaten and the sense pervades that it will indeed take a Barcelona or a Chelsea to alter that statistic. The former, which won 1-3 at Getafe to remain second, will attempt to do so at Camp Nou later this month.