Radamel Falcao scored his 30th goal of the season as Atletico Madrid edged out Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at the Campo de futbol de Vallecas.
In a first half of few chances, Madrid came closest when Mario Suarez forced an instinctive save from David Cobeno.
The decisive goal arrived in the 64th minute as Falcao calmly evaded the challenge of the onrushing Cobeno before slotting in from outside of the area.
The win has lifted Atletico up to seventh in the La Liga table, while Vallecano remain 12th.