Barça Fight Back to Crush Atlético 3–1 and Tighten Their Grip on LaLiga Top Spot

After the interval, Hansi Flick’s side gradually tightened their control of midfield and began to pin Atlético back. The breakthrough came in the 65th minute when a loose ball in the box fell for Dani Olmo, who drilled a low shot into the corner to complete the turnaround, even though he appeared to injure his shoulder in the ensuing celebration. 

Atlético pushed for a response and nearly levelled through substitute Thiago Almada, but his solo run ended with a miskicked finish that summed up the visitors’ frustrating night.​ Deep into stoppage time, Barcelona killed off the contest with a classic counter-attack. Alejandro Balde surged down the left and whipped in a low cross that found Ferran Torres unmarked at the far post, and the forward made no mistake from close range to seal the 3–1 victory. 

The win lifts Barcelona to 37 points from 15 games, four clear of Real Madrid, while Atlético remain on 31 points, tasting defeat in the league for the first time since August and seeing their momentum checked in the title race.