Madrid, Sep 25 (IANS): Alvaro Morata netted twice as Atletico Madrid capitalized on defensive lapses to defeat Real Madrid 3-1 in the Madrid derby.

All three of Atletico's goals originated from crosses on their left side, exposing Madrid's central defenders who failed to effectively mark inside their penalty box, reports Xinhua.

This loss sees Real Madrid drop to third in La Liga. FC Barcelona now sits at the top, while Girona climbs to second place.

Atletico opened the scoring early, with Alvaro Morata converting a deft header from Samuel Lino's cross in the fourth minute. Antoine Griezmann then extended the lead in the 16th minute, powering a header home from a Saul delivery.

Saul had a chance to make it three shortly after, but Kepa Arrizabalaga made a swift save from Nahuel Molina's pass.

However, one can never count Real Madrid out. Toni Kroos fired a potent low shot from outside the box in the 36th minute, pulling one back for the visitors.

Real Madrid seemed to have the momentum as the first half concluded, but their resurgence was halted by another defensive lapse just after halftime. Atletico exploited the left flank once more, with Saul providing the cross for Morata to head in his second.

Following their third goal, Atletico adopted a more defensive stance, forcing Real Madrid to attempt shots from distance. The match concluded with Jude Bellingham fortunate to escape a red card after a rough tackle on Angel Correa.