In an intense game where both sides failed to show their full potential, Barcelona won thanks to Ousmane Dembélé’s ice-cool first-half finish. Barça weren’t pretty, but take full advantage of Real Madrid’s defeat to Villarreal to go three points clear at the top of La Liga.
ATLÉTICO MADRID
Jan Oblak: 5
Nahuel Molina: 5 – A couple of good crosses which were ultimately not converted
Stefan Savić: 6 – A resolute defensive performance that ended in an ugly tussle with Ferran Torres and a sending-off.
José María Giménez: 6 – Made a crucial sliding block on Fati in the first half, before a good header went just wide.
Reinildo: 5
Koke: 4 – Failed to gain any control of the midfield and allowed Pedri the freedom and space to create the goal.
Pablo Barrios: 4 – Not a satisfactory performance from the youngster.
Marcos Llorente: 6 – One of Atléti’s better players. His runs in behind on the right flank were always a source of concern for Barça.
Yannick Carrasco: 4
João Félix: 3 – Completely anonymous with a distinct lack of effort.
Antoine Griezmann: 6 – Atlético’s best forward, and had two great chances denied.
SUBSTITUTES:
Ángel Correa: 5 – Picked up a booking for kicking the ball towards the fourth official.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 5 – Atlético missed his physicality for large sections of the game.
Álvaro Morata: 5
Thomas Lemar: 5
Sergio Reguilón: n/a
FC BARCELONA
Marc-André ter Stegen: 8 – Another well-earned clean sheet for the German tonight, the highlight being an excellent save on Griezmann in the first half.
Jules Koundé: 7 – Excellent in negating Yannick Carrasco out of the game.
Ronald Araújo: 7 – A crucial late block from the Uruguayan to deny Griezmann on the goalline.
Andreas Christensen: 7 – Swept up brilliantly. 5 clearances, 3 interceptions, and impeccable on the ball.
Álex Balde: 5
Sergio Busquets: 5
Frenkie de Jong: 5
Pedri: 7 – Made the difference taking advantage of Atléti’s lackadaisical defending to drive through and create the goal chance.
Gavi: 6 – Assisted Dembélé for the goal with a good shield and lay-off.
Ousmane Dembélé: 6 – A very good first-time finish that proved to be the decider.
Ansu Fati: 5 – Had a couple of chances denied by the Atléti defence, but still not up to the mark in terms of his sharpness.
SUBSTITUTES:
Ferran Torres: 3 – Put the ball in the back of the net but was offside. Picked up a silly red card in stoppage time after getting into a scuffle with Savić.
Franck Kessié: 5
Raphinha: 5
Sergi Roberto: 5
Marcos Alonso: n/a
GSFN | Roddur Mookherjee
