One of the most enticing, yet friendliest derbies in Europe kicked off with the two sides from Northern Spain showing little mercy in the opening stages in the cauldron of San Mames.
There was little doubt that Athletic looked the sharper side throughout the first half, with the pace and power of the Williams brothers causing havoc in the Sociedad defence, and just shy of the 20-minute mark it was one of those siblings Nico who forced Alex Remiro into a fine stop at his left post.
Winning just one of six league games since their European campaign started might have left some Athletic fans concerned about fatigue in their side.
But this was a display full of energy and enthusiasm from the hosts, with Nico Williams heavily involved in his side’s eventual opener when he neatly dinked the ball over the Sociedad defence for a grateful Oihan Sancet to nod in.
The visitors rarely threatened Athletic’s lead for the remainder of the first half, which allowed Ernesto Valverde’s men to emerge full of confidence after the interval, duly calling Remiro into a smart save after some brilliant work by Sancet.
In truth, Sociedad looked a shadow of the side who managed to brush aside table toppers Barcelona last time out, and they lacked cutting edge with Takefusa Kubo clearly isolated before his substitution on the hour mark.
Sergio Gomez’s tame effort was about as close as Sociedad had been to finding a leveller as the game ticked on into its final stages.
Maybe wary of a late sucker punch, Athletic put their defensive solidity on full display as they switched gears from attempting to find a killer second and instead shut the game down with relative ease to extend their unbeaten league run to five matches, climbing into the top-five of LaLiga in the process.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Oihan Sancet (Athletic Club)