Antony’s first-half goal proved decisive at the Metropolitano, handing Betis swift revenge and leaving Atletico rooted in third place, now 13 points adrift of league leaders Barcelona following their win over Mallorca on Saturday.
The victory strengthened Betis’ push for Champions League qualification. Manuel Pellegrini’s side sit fifth, four points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, though they have played two matches more than the Yellow Submarine.
The contrast with Thursday night’s cup meeting was stark. Atletico had dismantled Betis 5–0 in Seville to book a place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, but the league encounter was a far tighter, more disciplined contest from the visitors.
“It’s a tough defeat after the great game we had in the cup,” Atletico captain Koke told Movistar. “We weren’t as good as the other day. They were much more compact, we had very few chances and they played a great match.”
Pellegrini made five changes from the side that collapsed midweek, and Betis arrived in Madrid intent on restoring pride. Jan Oblak was forced into an early save to deny Cedric Bakambu, while at the opposite end Julian Alvarez was kept quiet by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles as Atletico struggled to impose themselves.
The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Antony, Betis’ standout performer, unleashed a low effort from around 20 yards that caught Oblak off guard at his near post. The goal — the Brazilian winger’s 10th of the season in all competitions — ultimately decided the contest.
Diego Simeone responded at half-time by replacing the out-of-form Alvarez with Alexander Sorloth, but Atletico failed to find a route back into the match. A late own goal from Diego Llorente was ruled out after Antoine Griezmann was judged to be marginally offside and interfering with play.
Former Atletico midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme nearly sealed the win in the closing stages, but Oblak read his attempted chip to keep the deficit at one.
Reflecting on the turnaround from Thursday’s heavy defeat, Betis midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo said: “The cup result was very hard to take. We had to correct a lot of things in a very short time, and today we showed our character.”
Elsewhere in La Liga, second-placed Real Madrid travel to Valencia later on Sunday.