Barcelona have moved to the top of the La Liga table, and are three points ahead of their rivals Real Madrid. The defending champions slipped up against Villarreal this weekend, and were defeated 2-1.
Presented with the perfect opportunity to get ahead in the title race, Xavi’s men picked up a very important win at the Wanda Metropolitano. They scored at the stadium for the first time in over a thousand days, courtesy of Ousmane Dembele’s match-winning goal.
Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table after Atletico Madrid clash
Atletico Madrid were on a four-match winning run heading into the game. Barcelona, on the other hand, have extended their winning run to seven games across all competitions.
The game finished with both teams having ten men, as Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic were both shown straight red cards for a wrestling bout off the ball.
Atletico Madrid had double the number of shots that Barcelona had, despite having lesser possession. And they were unable to beat Marc Andre ter Stegen to at least get back on level terms.
With the clean sheet, the Blaugrana continue to have the best defensive record in the division – conceding only six goals from 16 games played in the league so far.
It now remains to be seen whether Xavi can help his side maintain their position at the top of the table. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid must not be counted out just yet, with Los Blancos having a history of fighting back when they have been counted out.
