Atletico had no shots on target until the referee awarded them the penalty for a handball by Getafe defender Omar Alderete which Sorloth netted with a low strike to the goalkeeper's left.
Real are on 24 points, two ahead of Barcelona and the top two will go head-to-head in next Sunday's El Clasico. Getafe are 12th in the standings on 11 points.
Mbappe chasing Ronaldo record as Real Madrid host Celta
Jude Bellingham converted a penalty and Kylian Mbappe added another goal before halftime to spur Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Getafe.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Sunday
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti dismissed suggestions on Tuesday that he is under mounting pressure at the club as they sit second in the LaLiga standings and were knocked out of the Champions League last week.
Barcelona endured a frustrating evening in their La Liga season opener with a 0-0 draw in a feisty affair at Getafe.
Barcelona will begin their Spanish league title defence away to Getafe on Aug. 13 while Real Madrid visit Athletic Bilbao the same weekend.
Fullback Nahuel Molina lifted a long cross from the right touchline which found the unmarked Sorloth whose header at the far post beat goalkeeper David Soria.
Real were left with 10 men before halftime when Mbappe saw a straight red after taking down Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco as the referee overturned his initial decision of booking him with a yellow after consulting with VAR.
Barca will now visit seventh-placed Osasuna on Saturday before hosting Young Boys in the Champions League next week, when they will look to rebound following a 2-1 loss in their opening match at Monaco.
Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez struck two late goals to give the LaLiga champions a 2-1 win at Getafe on Tuesday after the hosts were reduced to 10 men late in the second half.
Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Real Sociedad on Sunday that ended their seven-match winning streak in all competitions.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said that he understands the club fans booying him and his team in their 5-2 win over Celta Vigo.
A summary of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
Spanish soccer clubs Villarreal and Getafe have denied any wrongdoing after national media reported on Friday that police are investigating possible match-fixing in a 2-2 draw between the two clubs in La Liga last year. Newspaper El Pais reported that the match was being looked at as part of Operation Oikos, which was launched last year and led to 11 people being arrested on suspicion of forming a match-fixing group to profit from betting on games.
Brazilian teenage striker Endrick came off the bench to score two goals in extra time and help Real Madrid rescue a hard-fought 5-2 win over Celta Vigo.
Barcelona thrashed Real Betis 5-1 on Wednesday to book their spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
Barcelona beat third-placed Getafe 2-1 at home on Saturday to stay on the heels of La Liga title rivals Real Madrid but the champions were made to sweat for all three points by the impressive visitors. Antoine Griezmann sent the Catalans ahead in the 34th minute with a cool finish with the outside of his left foot after being played in by an outstanding pass from Lionel Messi, while Sergi Roberto doubled Barca's lead five minutes later.
Lewandowski strike gives Barcelona 1-0 win over Alaves
All soccer matches scheduled to be played in the Valencian region this weekend have been postponed, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said on Thursday due to the deadly floods which have killed at least 95 people.
Kylian Mbappe was in inspired form, scoring twice to guide Real Madrid to a comeback 4-1 win over visitors Las Palmas on Sunday.
Dramatic finale as Valencia denied by 10-man Levante
Images from Sunday's action in LaLiga and Serie A.
Real moved to 57 points, two ahead Girona and 10 clear of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
The draw interrupted a run of four straight league wins for Zinedine Zidane's side and left them second on 67 points after 31 games, three behind leaders Atletico who thrashed Eibar 5-0 earlier in the day.
Real Madrid paid for defensive mistakes as they were held to a 3-3 draw at lowly local rivals Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
'We were happy with the win because we played a great game until the 88th minute, when two lapses in concentration led to two goals and we had to suffer a bit more than we should have.'
Getafe returned to haunt Barcelona as they condemned Frank Rijkaard's side to a 2-0 defeat in the Primera Liga on Saturday. The last time Barca visited the Coliseum six months ago Getafe knocked them out of the King's Cup in the semi-finals by overturning a 5-2 first-leg deficit with a stunning 4-0 win.
Betis's Chimy Avila hit the post with an acrobatic volley one minute later and both teams wasted several chances for the winner late on.
Real Madrid's French duo Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy struck in the second half as the Spanish champions overcame an injury crisis to beat Getafe 2-0 at home on Tuesday and close the gap to La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid to five points.
Man City to face Spurs in League Cup
Real Madrid moved to within a point of La Liga leaders Barcelona after Karim Benzema, Isco, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo all scored in a 5-1 thrashing at struggling Getafe on Saturday.
Royal Emirates Group will buy La Liga club Getafe for about 90 million euros ($129.6 million), the Dubai firm said on Wednesday following earlier reports it was eyeing a Spanish soccer team.
Real Madrid moved four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring either side of a Gareth Bale strike in a 3-0 win at Getafe on Sunday.
Barcelona equalled a club record of 12 consecutive league wins as Neymar and Lionel Messi were among the scorers in a 6-0 thrashing of struggling Getafe 6-0 at the Nou Camp on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo helped Juventus continue their unbeaten start to the Serie A season with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over struggling SPAL on Saturday.
Gonzalo Higuain's stunning injury-time strike secured a remarkable 3-2 comeback win for hosts Real Madrid in the Primera Liga on Tuesday.
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham again proved the match-winner as he struck in added time to snatch a 2-1 victory over Getafe as the Spanish giants made their home debut in La Liga this season.
Getafe thrashed Barcelona 4-0 to snatch a place in their first King's Cup final despite losing the first leg 5-2.