A stunning 25-yard strike from Saul Niguez snapped Atletico Madrid's three-game winless streak with a nervy 1-0 win over Las Palmas on Saturday to move up to fifth in La Liga.
Atletico started the day 12 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid after a run of four defeats in seven league games.
However, Niguez's brilliant hit just before the hour mark brought some blessed relief to the Vicente Calderon as Atletico ensured they will end the year just a point off the top four.
And coach Diego Simeone insisted Atletico have had another fantastic 12 months despite their inconsistent start to the league season and losing in the Champions League final to bitter rivals Real on penalties in May.
"Taking into account where we have come from, we have ended an extraordinary year," said Simeone.
"I think any fan of Atletico Madrid has to be proud of a fantastic year and we finished it off with a very solid performance."