Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid, Liga BBVA 2015-16: Player Ratings

Keylor Navas: 9 - Without this man, Real Madrid would have lost this match. It really is that simple. The Costa Rican stopper did everything he could to try and deny Atléti opening the scoring but was let down by his team mates in the end.

Dani Carvajal: 7 - Carvajal was playing excellently until unfortunately he was removed from the game through injury. He had skinned Filipe Luís early on to put in a beautiful cross and assist Benzema's opener.

Raphael Varane: 6 - Reasonable display from the young Frenchman. He didn't make any bad individual errors of note and kept his compatriot Griezmann in check for the most part.

Sergio Ramos: 2 - Ridiculous combination of reckless tackling and comical errors to present Atléti with a penalty. He will forever be remembered for his header against them to help bring home La Decima, but Ramos is often a stupid player. His decision making is not what it should be.

Marcelo: 4 - Looked uninspired today. We didn't have his usual piercing runs down the left hand side and he was constantly troubled with Atletico Madrid's midfielders. After all these years in Madrid, his positioning still leaves a lot to be desired.

Casemiro: 9 - I thought he was outstanding. He made so many interceptions and tackles today that helped stop Atléti's forwards from creating danger. In fact he was a match leader in both departments with 6 interceptions and 5 tackles respectively. His passing was also amazing. Xabi Alonso-eqsue. This kid has a bright future.

Toni Kroos: 3 - A lifeless display from the German who has proved both today and last season that he cannot keep up with the frantic pace of the Madrid derbies. He won few tackles and contributed little in attack, most of his passes were either backwards or square. Normally he leads in passes as he dictates the tempo. Today, 4 Real Madrid players made more passes than him.

Luka Modric: 8 - The Croat put in a decent performance as he dribbled with the ball better than nay other player in Real Madrid's line-up. He made 4 successful dribbles and constantly worked hard throughout the match. He also contributed well defensively.

Isco: 3 - Yet another disappointing performance from Isco in his new role. Benítez should seriously consider whether to continue playing him there ahead of other players. The Spaniard is better in the central areas for sure. His creativity was lacking in attack today.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 2 - Miserable performance today from the talismanic forward. He was completely shut-out by Atléti's tight marking and when he did have chances he squandered them with atrocious efforts on goal.

Karim Benzema: 6 - Did well to take the lead for Madrid with a clinical header, indicative of his recent form but then proceeded to contribute little thereafter. He only touched the ball 30 times in the 76 minutes he was on the pitch. Still, without his goal Madrid would not have come away with a point.

Subs:

Álvaro Arbeloa: 1 - There is no valid reason as to why the Spartan is still on Madrid's pay roll. The club should have parted ways with him a couple of summers ago and he showed why with his failed attempt at trickery which ultimately led to Atléti's equaliser. A terrible mistake for sure from a player who - Jackson Mártinez showed us literally - is off the pace.

Gareth Bale: 3 - I'm going to let Gareth off a little as he's just come back from an injury but he was frustrating to watch in his half hour cameo. He surely couldn't have been at full fitness as he, along with Ronaldo, failed to press Atléti's players and also did nothing offensively.

Matteo Kovacic: 4 - Didn't have much time but it was a flat performance from the youngster who struggled to adapt to the pace of the game after coming on. I recall him making one good tackle but otherwise I didn't see much from him.

A quick point worth mentioning:

Rafa Benítez tactics did not help Real Madrid today. Especially in the 2nd half. Perhaps the players don;t deserve to be rated as harshly as they have because maybe they played so uncreatively due to Rafa's defensive system. In any case, Benítez played a negative game plan - which turned out not to work - in which Madrid took an early lead in the 8th minute and then sat on it for the remainder of the match. Who knows how this game would have played out had Los Blancos played with courage and attacked Atlético from the beginning to the end?