Diego Simeone was thrilled Atletico Madrid overcame a tough Getafe side, though he was frustrated they could not win by a bigger margin.
Nahuel Molina secured the 1-0 victory for Atleti in the eighth minute with a stunning long-range effort, though they failed to add to their tally even after Abdel Abqar was sent off 10 minutes into the second half.
Alexander Sorloth crashed a header against the woodwork, and Julian Alvarez had an effort cleared off the line as Getafe managed to hold Atletico to just one goal.
Simeone’s side are now unbeaten in their last 12 home LaLiga derbies against teams from the Community of Madrid (W8 D4), winning the last six in a row for the first time in club history.
Atletico, who have won four straight LaLiga games, had 17 shots in total worth 1.5 expected goals (xG), but only got five on target.
Though Simeone was delighted with the win, he felt there was scope for improvement in the final third.
“It’s always a tough match against them. They have a style of play that they work on very well, they compete very well every year,” Simeone told Movistar+.
“Winning the match 1-0, as we did, it seemed like we had it under control, but they also thrive in that situation where it seems like you have the game under control.
“We had chances to be more clinical, to score one or two goals in the first half, but we didn’t. They improved in the second half.
“I think Getafe had a good second half. Even so, we also had two or three very clear chances that we couldn’t convert this time.”
In the first half, Atletico had eight attempts, including that chance off the frame of the goal, while Getafe failed to test Juan Musso, who became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in each of his first four LaLiga matches in the 21st century (six saves from six shots on target).
“Yes, I really liked the first half,” Simeone added.
“Honestly, if I had to pick one thing, it would be the performance of the lads who played the first half; they were excellent.
“They dominated the game, controlled their attacks, especially on those second balls, which are so difficult for them to win.”
