Having suffered back-to-back away defeats to Athletic Club and Liverpool in the past week, Diego Simeone’s men looked determined to avoid a hat-trick of losses in San Sebastian.
The visitors edged a closely fought opening half-hour, as Lee Kang-In fired a promising chance narrowly wide, before Morten Hjulmand directed a close-range header wastefully off target.
In the absence of strike duo Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, Atletico lacked a focal point as they continued to probe in the final third, and it was Sociedad who went close to a breakthrough when Luka Sucic powered an effort wide at the back post.
Encouraged by that opening, Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side threatened again before the break, as Sergio Gomez’s free-kick drew a smart save from Jan Oblak.
After a cagey start to the second period, Simeone made a triple-change on the hour mark, introducing Jonathan David, Johnny Cardoso and Koke. Those alterations nearly had an immediate impact, with Alejandro Grimaldo seeing a low strike pushed away by Alex Remiro in the hosts’ goal.
Despite having lost five of their previous 10 games in all competitions, the Colchoneros showed no fear of being caught on the break and ramped up the pressure with time heading into the final 20 minutes, as Cardoso fired another long-range effort wide of the target.
The chances continued to flow for the visitors, and after David and Hjulmand both went close, Atletico’s persistence was rewarded in the 82nd minute when Job Ochieng was penalised for a handball in the box.
Grimaldo stepped up to the spot for Simeone’s side, and coolly sent Remiro the wrong way to score his first Atlético goal. Matarazzo’s men looked to regroup for one final push in the closing stages, but the visitors put the game beyond doubt with two further goals.
First, David swept a clinical strike into the bottom corner from Grimaldo’s pass, before Giuliano Simeone raced clear on the counter to finish emphatically beyond Remiro, sending Atletico up to fourth in the early-season standings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alejandro Grimaldo (Atletico Madrid)