Atletico Madrid's title hopes faded after a costly 3-0 defeat at Villarreal Monday saw Diego Simeone's side fall 12 points behind La Liga leader Real Madrid and lose influential goalkeeper Jan Oblak to injury. Villarreal midfielder Manu Trigueros intercepted a weak back pass from Tiago Mendes before firing the ball into the bottom corner in the 28th minute. Jonathan dos Santos then nipped in to grab the second goal in the 38th minute after Oblak spilled a shot from Alexandre Pato. Roberto Soriano capped a first win in four league games for Villarreal by finishing off a one-two with Alfred N'Diaye in injury time at the end of the match. "I leave with the sensation that the team is fighting, working hard and trying to do everything to win but results aren't going our way," said Simeone. "We have to keep working because that's the only way we'll improve." Oblak was taken to hospital for tests on a shoulder problem he sustained when trying to prevent Dos Santos reaching the loose ball. Tiago had also been taken off immediately after his error, complaining of discomfort in his knee. Villarreal leapfrogged Atletico into fourth place with 26 points from 15 games. Simeone's side dropped to sixth on 25 and may now have to target a top-four finish rather than a title push. Roma edges Milan AS Roma defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the battle for second place in Serie A Monday after M'Baye Niang missed a penalty for the second game running for the visitors. Radja Nainggolan scored the only goal just past the hour mark after Niang, who had squandered a penalty in the previous week's 2-1 win over Crotone, saw his spot kick saved by Wojciech Szczesny in the first half. The two sides had begun level on 32 points but Roma's win left them alone in second place, four points behind leader and titleholder Juventus who they visit Saturday. Earlier, Fiorentina's Nikola Kalinic netted an outrageous volley and a cheeky backheel as it beat Sassuolo 2-1. Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract Spanish international defender Cesar Azpilicueta says he is delighted to have signed a new three-and-a-half year deal with Premier League leader Chelsea. The 27-year-old signed from French side Marseille in 2012 and was a pivotal member of the team that won the 2015 league title. In the current campaign under Antonio Conte he has been an ever present as Chelsea stormed to the top of the table with a run of nine wins. Azpilicueta's new deal, which he signed Tuesday, will tie him to Chelsea till 2020. - Agencies
