Radamel Falcao's penalty has given 10-man Atletico Madrid a 1-0 half-time lead over Espanyol in tonight's La Liga encounter at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.
Victory for Atletico would see them restore their two-point gap over third-placed Real Madrid.
In what was an ill-tempered first half, the hosts should have taken the lead with 36 minutes on the clock, but Miranda could only head straight at Kiko Casilla.
Madrid finally went ahead in the 38th minute through Falcao's spot kick after Hector Moreno's foul on Diego Costa.
However, the home side finished the half with 10 men as Gabi picked up his second yellow card of the evening with a foul on Simao.
