Atletico Madrid eked out a 1-0 victory at Getafe on Sunday, keeping the pressure on the teams above them in La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s side, currently fourth, remain three points behind leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid following their narrow derby win, secured by a late own-goal from Domingos Duarte.
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid are scheduled to play Elche later and could reclaim sole possession of the top spot.
Atletico are a point behind third-place Villarreal after a tight contest on a chilly night at Getafe’s Coliseum.
The Rojiblancos were dealt an early blow when Marcos Llorente left the game with an injury, which was the most significant moment of a largely uneventful first half.
Getafe, who sit seventh, have a reputation for being tough opponents at home and often disrupted their neighbours’ rhythm.
Atletico captain Koke marked his 700th appearance for the club, though it was not a particularly memorable occasion.
Juan Musso started in goal for Atletico in place of the injured Jan Oblak and had very little to do. His counterpart, David Soria, was slightly busier, making a key save from Nico Gonzalez early on.
Gonzalez blocked a shot from Mauro Arambarri after an hour as Getafe briefly threatened.
Simeone substituted striker Julian Alvarez, who had a quiet night, for target man Alexander Sorloth in hopes of finding a winner.
Soria then saved a strike from Giacomo Raspadori as Atletico applied pressure, and the Italian forward played a key role in the game’s only goal.
Raspadori sent a cross back across the goal, and under pressure from Antoine Griezmann, Duarte inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 82nd minute.
That proved to be enough for the win, though Arambarri struck the crossbar in stoppage time as Getafe nearly equalised.
“(Simeone) told me before I went on to take advantage of my chance,” Raspadori told DAZN.
“I had a bit of luck with the own-goal, but I am very happy,” he added.
“When these games are tough, winning is important. People told me it would be tough here, and so it was, but we did well in the end.”