Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone believes his team had made the better chances and had deserved to win in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.
Rafa Benitez's cautious Madrid side had looked set for a first win in almost three years at the Calderon due to Karim Benzema's early header, especially after Antoine Griezmann's penalty miss.
But Simeone kept throwing on attacking substitutes -- and Jackson Martinez's cross was turned in by fellow replacement Luciano Vietto, and Atletico almost claimed the three points during a frantic end to the game.
The Colchoneros coach told his postmatch news conference that his team had made opportunities throughout the 90 minutes and he felt they had dropped two points.
"In the first half the team had two big chances, one for Correa and the penalty," Simeone said. "They [Madrid] got the goal. That made them feel comfortable in the game, we were looking to turn it around.
"The feeling in the second half was better. We had a chance from [Fernando] Torres, then the equaliser, and later we ended up with a great save from Keylor. The feeling is we have dropped two points, we were close to winning, we had more chances than they did."
Simeone admitted that Madrid had more of the ball for long periods, however his new-look team had regularly made chances despite not being at their best.
"I do not believe they created many chances, but they had control of the game," he said. "But we had clear chances in the first half, and were even closer in the second half even though we did not find the balance and consistency we are looking for."
Another recent arrival, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, and 20-year-old Argentine starlet Angel Correa, also played their part in Atletico's performance, and Simeone said it was normal for his team not to be yet firing on all cylinders.
"We are starting out, they are kids coming from important teams, they have experience, but some are still young," he said. "It is not easy to come into a structure like ours. You can see that."
Simeone explained he removed Correa, who had been his team's best player through the first hour of the game, due to a fear the wound-up youngster would get a second yellow card.
"I also saw it like that, but I was afraid that any lost ball could bring an unnecessary foul, and referees are sensitive with fouls which break up the play," he said. "[Correa] is young. There was a risk and I wanted to put in fresh players. And it didn't go too badly -- Luciano [Vietto] scored the goal."
After a weekend in which none of the top six teams managed to win, Simeone said that injuries were taking a toll at all of La Liga's leading sides in the early stages of the season.
"Villarreal are top, and they are having a very good season," he said. "Injuries are playing an important role. The teams are not the same without their best players. We are missing Koke, [Leo] Messi is out, [Andres] Iniesta, James [Rodriguez], Danilo... You must make up for it, we are all competing.
"At least this season is entertaining, everyone will be surprised. We have 13 points from seven games, we have played difficult games. This is an important point, but we had to go and claim it."