Alvaro Negredo has spent a career duelling Fernando Llorente and his latest victory in their personal rivalry could have serious connotations in the Premier League survival fight.
Over the years it tended to be one or the other in Vicente Del Bosque's Spanish national squad selections, and Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka had both men on his list of transfer targets last summer.
This morning, as he contemplates entering the Christmas period with a four-point buffer to the relegation zone, Karanka will be thankful he was able to persuade the Valencia striker to switch to Teesside on a season-long loan.