Christmas evening has never been like this. A fast-paced football match at the Salt Lake Stadium with two super teams refusing to yield an inch and the crowd enjoying every moment of it.

The ISL VI match between ATK and Bengaluru FC on Wednesday was an intriguing clash and in the end hosts ATK won 1-0. David Williams scored the all-important goal in the 47th minute.

ATK now have 18 points from 10 matches which means they are on top of the points table. FC Goa are also on 18, but they have an inferior goal difference.

ATK, winless in their last two matches, were very compact at the back. Augustin Garcia, Sumit Rathi — he is just 18 and drafted into the senior team from Reserves — and Pritam Kotal were brilliant in keeping Sunil Chhetri and Udanta Singh under check. Mandi Sosa and Jayesh Rane, who were playing in front of the three-man defence, gave Garcia and Co. ample support.

But the man who hogged the limelight was none other than ATK captain Roy Krishna. Agreed Williams got the goal, but Krishna was a class apart. He could have got his name on the scoresheet but for ineptness of one of the assistant referees. A delightful long from Mandi Sosa found an unmarked Krishna.

The Fijian controlled the ball nicely and found the far corner beating Sandhu but the linesman thought it was offside. Television replays later showed Krishna was very much on-side when Sosa released the ball.

The defending champions are clearly lacking a No. 9. With Miku gone — he is now playing in the Cyprus league — Bengaluru FC sufferings in front of the goal has become all the more glaring. In 10 matches, they have scored just 11 goals. That’s quite unlike Bengaluru FC.

Still they had their chances. In the 55th minute, Bengaluru FC defender Rahul Bheke freed Harmanjyot Singh Khabra on the right. Khabra played it to Chhetri in the middle but the Bengaluru FC captain’s shot was off the target.

In the 81st minute, Khabra’s delivery got a deflection off Augustine and fell at Dimas Delgado’s feet. Strangely the Spaniard volleyed wide from close.

“We are creating chances, but just not getting the goals. We have to go back to the drawing room and rectify our mistakes,” Chhetri was candid after the match.

Two minutes into the second half, ATK took the lead.

Krishna sent a through ball and Bheke could not intercept the ball cleanly. Jayesh Rane was nearby and picked the rebound. He played it to Williams who found the back of the net with a world-class strike. Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu could only admire Williams’s effort.

In the last 10 minutes Bengaluru FC three everything at ATK. But the hosts held their ground firmly and when referee R. Venkatesh blew the final whistle, coach Antonio Lopez was ecstatic.

Indeed a merry Christmas for the Spaniard and his men.

After all, this was ATK’s first win over Bengaluru FC in five meetings.