Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid: Player ratings as Ferran Torres strike seals win
By Tom Gott
Barcelona saw off in-form La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday afternoon with an entertaining 1-0 victory at Camp Nou.
Both sides had to work incredibly hard but it was Ferran Torres' strike in the dying embers of the first half which ultimately made the difference.
Antoine Griezmann nearly haunted his former side after just 45 seconds when his strike from the edge of the box crashed away off the bar - the closest either side came in the opening 15 minutes before Robert Lewandowski's drive into the box sparked havoc which Atletico eventually dealt with.
Predictably, Barcelona won the possession battle but they found it incredibly tough to break down an Atleti side who were consistently threatening on the counter.
Griezmann drew a solid save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen shortly after the half-hour mark, with Atletico attacking with far more purpose than a Barcelona side who did not manage a shot on target for the first 44 minutes of the half.
Their first effort on target did, however, find the back of the net.
Just moments before the interval, Raphinha's cross found Torres on the edge of the Atletico box and the winger bent his effort beyond Jan Oblak.
Oblak had to be alert to deny Torres early in the second half and Gavi fizzed agonisingly wide of the post as Barcelona tried to assert their dominance, seeing more joy running at the Atletico back line in the second half.
On the hour mark, Rodrigo de Paul spurned an excellent chance to tie things up. Yannick Carrasco's cut-back found him unmarked in the box but the Argentine dragged his effort well wide.
Robert Lewandowski fired the ball across the six-yard box right into the path of Raphinha, but the Brazilian couldn't sort his feet out and failed to control his shot and the ball simply ricocheted off him into the arms of the grateful Oblak.
The Pole declined to square to Raphinha soon after when the duo went two-on-one against Oblak, instead firing wide when a pass was easily the better decision.
The referee went a little card-happy as the clock ticked on, breaking up the game to dish out a yellow at every possible opportunity, which played into Barcelona's hands as the runaway league leaders held out for the three points.
Barcelona player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6/10 - Some nice saves to keep Griezmann out.
RB: Jules Kounde - 5/10 - There's a reason Kounde doesn't like playing right-back. His attacking limitations out wide were a massive issue for Barcelona and Carrasco's speed was a little too much for him.
CB: Ronald Araujo - 7/10 - A great performance both on and off the ball. Another claim for the title of world's best defender.
CB: Marcos Alonso - 6/10 - Not comfortable in central areas but usually did enough to avoid danger.
LB: Alejandro Balde - 6/10 - Not his best performance. Flashed his inexperience by leaving Alonso isolated on the left at times.
DM: Sergio Busquets - 6/10 - Marked out the first half by Atletico but the extra space in the second half allowed him to get involved more.
CM: Frenkie de Jong - 7/10 - A major threat in Barcelona's midfield. His ability to advance the ball is so important in this side.
CM: Gavi - 6/10 - Wasn't particularly involved on the ball but his energy was a major problem for Atletico.
RW: Raphinha - 7/10 - Bagged the assist for Torres' opener in a performance full of outstanding energy.
ST: Robert Lewandowski - 6/10 - Involved in a whole lot. Guilty of taking a few too many touches when a confident Lewandowski would usually just be shooting.
LW: Ferran Torres - 7/10 - Took his goal well and showed good composure to actually take the shot on in the first place.
Substitutes
Pedri (61' for Torres) - 6/10
Eric Garcia (61' for Alonso) - 5/10
Franck Kessie (78' for De Jong) - 6/10
Ansu Fati (90' for Raphinha) - N/A
Manager
Xavi - 7/10 - Struggled to get things going in the first half but beat Simeone at his own game after the break, focusing on fast counters to keep on top.
Atletico Madrid player ratings (3-5-2)
GK: Jan Oblak - 5/10 - Didn't need to do much but will have questions to answer about his positioning for Torres' opener.
CB: Stefan Savic - 5/10 - Came off second best against Lewandowski and Torres. Booked and suspended for the next game.
CB: Jose Maria Gimenez - 5/10 - A few shaky moments up against Barcelona's forward line.
CB: Mario Hermoso - 5/10 - Struggled more than most in Atletico's defence. Guilty of a handful of mistakes.
RM: Nahuel Molina - 7/10 - Got the better of Balde with his tenacity and energy.
CM: Rodrigo de Paul - 6/10 - Flashed his elite vision on occasion but will be frustrated not to have done more.
CM: Axel Witsel - 5/10 - Struggled with the pace of the game. Caught out of position more than once.
CM: Thomas Lemar - 5/10 - Buzzed around the field with energy without doing a whole lot. Tried to rip Busquets' shorts off.
LM: Yannick Carrasco - 7/10 - Saw plenty of space on the left as Kounde struggled with his positioning, but couldn't make the most of it.
ST: Antoine Griezmann - 7/10 - An absolute menace in the first half but failed to maintain that level as the game went on.
ST: Angel Correa - 6/10 - Also enjoyed a hot start but faded away before being hooked on the hour mark.
Substitutes
Pablo Barrios (59' for Witsel) - 5/10
Alvaro Morata (59' for Correa) - 6/10
Saul Niguez (67' for Lemar) - 5/10
Sergio Reguilon (79' for Hermoso) - 5/10
Manager
Diego Simeone - 5/10 - His lineup lost the midfield battle as Simeone couldn't find a way to get back into the game.