Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ousmane Dembele as they moved three points clear at the top of La Liga.
The game started brightly, with both sides able to get forward and into dangerous positions. Atletico retreated into their familiar defensive shape, inviting Barcelona on and hoping to win the ball to spring a counter-attack.
Xavi’s side found the breakthrough on 22 minutes as Pedri drove through the heart of Atletico before finding Gavi, who used his body well before laying it off to Dembele to slide it past Jan Oblak.
Atletico ended the first half well, moving further up the pitch and playing more positively in search of an equaliser. And the hosts approached the second half in the same way as they ended the first – pushing forward in search of an equaliser but without creating many clear-cut opportunities.
Barcelona weathered the Atletico storm well – keeping hold of the ball and frustrating the Atletico players – before Stefan Savic and Ferran Torres were both sent off following a tussle off the ball.
Antoine Greizmann had a golden opportunity to equalise against his former club from point-blank range but it was cleared off the line in a dramatic finish.