Julian Alvarez scored a hat-trick as Atletico Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano to claim only their second La Liga win of the season.

The Argentina striker opened the scoring with a back-post volley, before Pep Chavarria equalised with a brilliant effort from 35 yards.

Alvaro Garcia gave the visitors the lead at Riyadh Air Metropolitano, only for Alvarez to equalise from close range.

He completed his hat-trick with a stunning left-footed strike into the top corner from 25 yards.

Victory lifted Diego Simeone's side into ninth in the table, while Rayo remain 14th.

Pressure has been building on Simeone, who has won two league titles in almost 14 years in charge.

Alvarez scored 29 goals in all competitions for Atletico in his first season and has four in six games this season.

Atletico host rivals and league leaders Real Madrid on Saturday at 15:15 BST.