By Fernando Kallas
MADRID (Reuters) – An inspired Atletico Madrid humiliated city rivals Rayo Vallecano with a 7-0 demolition job on Monday, with substitute Alvaro Morata scoring twice and midfielders Saul Niguez and Rodrigo de Paul giving two assists each.
Atletico took an early two-goal lead with Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay scoring from close range, while Nahuel Molina extended their lead in the 36th minute in a counter-attack.
In the second half Morata netted twice with Angel Correa and Marcos Llorente also on target as a rampant Atletico ripped apart their rivals to secure a second win in three games this season.
Atletico are second in the LaLiga standings, level on seven points with Barcelona and Girona. They trail leaders Real Madrid by two points, while Rayo are eighth with six points.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Pritha Sarkar)