Alaves whip the ball into the box and Manu Garcia is left unmarked but he can only head wide. The visitors have failed to have a shot on target and that stat looks like it will not change.
90'
Into stoppage time now and three minutes are shown on the fourth official's board.
88'
Griezmann is denied at the near post after some poor defending from Alaves but both Duarte and Pacheco smother the former Real Sociedad star and the scoreline remains at 1-0.
87'
Abelardo's men are working hard to get on the ball but their aggression is proving too much and they are now conceding free-kicks rather than pushing on with the ball at their feet.
86'
Alexis gets yellow.
Yellow card for Alexis Ruano Delgado as he tries to halt an Atletico attack.
85'
Alaves get a free-kick in the middle of the pitch and they do their best to put pressure on Atletico but defender Godin heads away once again and the game moves on.
84'
C. Santos enters the game and replaces Ibai Gómez.
Ibai Gomez failed to get into the game tonight and now Christian Santos will get his chance off the bench.
81'
As expected, Torres' strike has made a huge difference and Atletico are now finding space and will have every chance of adding more goals to their tally.
78'
The home fans are now bouncing in the stands and Alaves will find it difficult to respond but they have worked so hard and should take the positives from their defending before the goal.
77'
Bojan Krkić enters the game and replaces Tomás Pina.
Simeone's risky subs have now paid off and Torres had been on the field for less than 10 minutes. What an impact he has made and now Atletico will push for a second.
An attacking change from Alaves as Pina comes off for Bojan.
Minute
Description
74'
Fernando Torres has scored a goal for Atletico Madrid! Assist by Š. Vrsaljko.
GOAAAAALLLLLL Torres wheels away in delight after staying onside from a cross. The former Liverpool frontman keeps his balance and volleys the ball into the net past Pacheco. Atletico 1-0 up!
Vrsaljko gets the assist after producing a teasing cross that caused chaos for the Alaves defence.
72'
The tackles are flying in now and Alaves are enjoying themselves and those three wins have made a huge difference to their confidence levels.
69'
Fernando Torres enters the game and replaces Saúl.
Y. Carrasco enters the game and replaces K. Gameiro.
Gameiro is now brought off and winger Yannick Carrasco is his replacement.
Ñíguez has endured a frustrating night and Simeone is going for it as he throws on Fernando Torres.
68'
Alaves get a free-kick on the edge of the box but Alexis is unable to steer his effort towards goal and the referee blows for offside in the end.
67'
D. Godín gets yellow.
Although he complains, Godin goes into the book after bringing down Munir.
64'
Atletico are still struggling to click in the final third and Simeone needs to get a tune out of his troops otherwise they will fall further behind league-leaders Barcelona.
63'
Álvaro Medrán enters the game and replaces Burgui.
Substitution for Alaves as Burgui makes way for Alvaro Medran.
61'
Rubén Duarte gets yellow.
Rubén Duarte is the latest man in the book but Atletico fail to take advantage with the free-kick.
58'
Looks like Simeone has asked a member of his bench to get warmed up. The coach is unhappy and it is clear to see why!
56'
Atletico waste the opportunity as Griezmann's ball in is cleared away by the visitors.
55'
Tomás Pina gets yellow.
Pacheco decides to take no risks with a Sime Vrsaljko cross and his punch nearly finds the touchline near the dugouts.
Tomás Pina is left frustrated after a poorly timed challenge and he concedes a free-kick on the edge of the box.
54'
The Correa change has definitely given Alaves more to think about and they may be forced to make a change or two in order to try and counter Simeone's tactics.
51'
Alaves finally get out of their own half and it is that man Pedraza again who wins a corner. However, Atletico clear thanks to a towering header from Godin.
49'
Correa has looked very bright since being brought on at half-time and his introduction could be a masterstroke from Simeone.
48'
Slight delay here as Manu Garcia goes down with a leg injury.
47'
Correa makes an immediate contribution as he charges through the middle of midfield and lays off Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman pushes the ball out of his feet but he can only shoot into the stands.
46'
Á. Correa enters the game and replaces T. Partey.
Alaves get the game back underway in Madrid.
An early sub from Atletico and a change in system as Partey goes off and he is replaced by Ángel Correa.
45' +1
One minute of stoppage time given.
45'
Atletico win a free-kick near the corner flag and Koke decides to shoot from a tight angle but he nearly finds the opposite side of the pitch and that should end the action for the first 45 minutes.
43'
Atletico could do with the half-time interval to regroup and Simeone will definitely have something to say to his players after this first-half display.
40'
Pedraza has looked dangerous down the left wing but the majority of his crosses have found Godin or Savic.
36'
Atletico go close to opening the scoring when Koke sees his half-volley blocked but Alaves respond straight away. Striker Munir peels away from his markers at the far post but he loses his balance and heads wide of the target.
35'
G. Maripán gets yellow.
Alaves defender Guillermo Maripán is now punished for a sloppy tackle in the middle of the park.
34'
S. Savić gets yellow.
Centre-back Stefan Savic is now into the book for dissent after Gabi concedes a free-kick.
33'
There's a real sense of frustration around the ground now as Alaves seem to be winning every free-kick. Griezmann goes down and gets told to get up and the visitors need to capitalise on their current momentum.
31'
Another free-kick goes against Atletico and Simeone complains, the referee goes across to have a word and that could be his final warning.
29'
The home crowd are still booing every decision that goes against their team but the football has not inspired them so far.
26'
Alaves are keeping at least nine men behind the ball at all times but they are quick to burst forward when in posession. Atletico will feel that their opponents will tire and that is when they could get more freedom.
24'
Striker Kevin Gameiro breaks into the box and latches onto a cross and he has the best chance of the match to score but Alexis sticks out a leg to poke the ball away.
20'
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak shows he is alert to the danger after having nothing to do in the first 20 minutes. Pedraza fires the ball towards the bottom corner but Oblak gets down low and does superbly well to keep the ball in play.
18'
T. Partey gets yellow.
Yellow card for Thomas Partey after a poor challenge in midfield.
17'
Alaves' league position is a little deceiving at times and their performance so far proves how organised they can be. They've slowed down Atletico and it has been an enjoyable first 16 minutes of action.
14'
The scoreline remains at 0-0 as Alaves clear with ease.
13'
Finally, Atletico have their first effort but Saul Niguez sees his effort hit Manu Garcia and the home side have a corner.
11'
Simeone will not be pleased with the lack of shots in the first 15 minutes but Alaves are doing their best on the counter so at least it is not all one-way traffic.
9'
The visitors aim for the near post before it is cleared, but Pedraza now wins another set-piece after a dangerous run down the left.
8'
Alaves win the first corner of the night after the ball strikes Saul Niguez.
6'
It's taken them five minutes but Atletico are finally starting to find their groove but they have yet to test Alaves keeper Fernando Pacheco.
4'
Winger Alonso Pedraza finds himself in a brilliant position on the edge of the box but he fails to pull the trigger and Atletico's Diego Godin forces him wide before winning a free-kick.
2'
There's a cracking atmosphere inside the Wanda Metropolitano tonight but the fans in attendance have nothing to get excited about in the first few minutes. Some scrappy bits of play have resulted in free-kicks and Atletico need to settle down.
1'
The match is underway as Atletico kick-off in front of their home fans.
Hello and welcome along to tonight's live text commentary of Atletico Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves from La Liga.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone has helped his side keep the pressure on their title rivals in recent months and they are third at the moment. On the other hand, Alaves are 18th and they face a fight to stay in the top flight of Spanish football.
Atletico are unbeaten since September 27 and they have won four of their last five matches. They head into the game after a 1-0 win over Real Betis in the league.
Tonight's team news coming up...
Alaves can move out of the bottom three tonight but they would need at least a 3-0 win, so the chances are very slim. Coach Abelardo has seen his side improve of late and they have won their last three games. A 2-0 success over Las Palmas last week has lifted the spirits but tonight's encounter will be much tougher at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.
Simeone makes just one change to his team after the win over Betis. Striker Antoine Griezmann comes into the fold and Angel Correa is forced to settle for a place on the bench.
Abelardo has decided to stick with the same troops that overcame Las Palmas and both teams are just finishing off their warm-ups. We will have all the action from 7.45pm.
HALF-TIME - Atletico 0-0 Alaves.
Alaves have done very well to frustrate their rivals but the home side will be disappointed with the lack of chances. Gameiro and Koke have come closest but Simeone's side need to up the ante in the second 45 minutes. Join us soon for more coverage!
FULL-TIME - Atletico 1-0 Alaves.
Despite struggling on occasions, Atletico get the job done and move closer to Barcelona at the top of the table. Torres was the hero tonight thanks to his stooping volley but Simeone will be disappointed with his team's display.
That is all for tonight's action folks. Thanks for joining us, goodbye!
Alaves came to defend tonight and they nearly got their rewards but they can take postivies out of the game and they will look to win their final match before the winger break.
Commentary
More…