Ousmane Dembele scored the goal that gave Barcelona the lead at the top of the league. Earlier, Real Sociedad beat Almeria 2-0 thanks to a masterclass from David Silva, and Real Betis moved up to fourth with an entertaining 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano.
With a crucial 2-1 victory over Getafe, struggling Sevilla moved out of the relegation zone based on goal difference. Barcelona set out to make a statement victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano after champion Real Madrid lost to Villarreal.
Xavi used Ansu Fati up front in place of suspended top scorer Robert Lewandowski, but Dembele made the difference with a neat move in the 22nd minute.
Atletico put on more pressure, and Ronald Araujo saved Antoine Griezmann’s penalty kick at the final whistle, but Diego Simeone’s team failed to score an equalizer.
After Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic were penalized for fighting on the floor, both teams finished the game with ten men.
“We are capable of winning in a place as difficult as this, despite our family’s suffering.
The fact that we have a chance of winning this league is a real statement.”
In Barcelona’s first 16 La Liga games
In Barcelona’s first 16 La Liga games, Griezmann came close to scoring Atletico’s desired equalizer twice. However, Barcelona has only given up six goals.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said his team deserved more after the Catalans only managed two shots on goal.
Oblak stated to DAZN, “We had a good game, except for the first 25 minutes.”
Atletico is currently fifth, 14 points behind leaders Barcelona, thanks to the loss.
Simeone stated to reporters, “It’s not a worrying situation, but it is one that we have to deal with.”
It’s true that the team had the right to remove another result, but we didn’t because we didn’t remove it. It’s important what happens in the boxes.”
– The decisive Dembele –
Fati’s first attempt was brilliantly saved by the sprawling Jose Gimenez, as Barcelona controlled the first half.
Saturday, Xavi stated that Atletico barely had any holes in their defense, but Pedri found one to score the opener.
The midfielder took advantage of space in front of the box and fed Gavi, who teed up Dembele for a slick finish.
After half an hour, Marcos Llorente had Atletico’s first decent chance when Griezmann delicately scooped a ball over the defense to set him up, but Araujo deflected his effort wide.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a fantastic save at full stretch to deny the pink-haired Griezmann as the hosts regained control, becoming increasingly influential against his former team.
Barca was pushed further and further down the field by Atletico in a determined start to the second half.
Dembele, a teammate of Griezmann’s, was the only one who gave the leaders a chance after the break, and he had a shot deflected into the side netting.
Franck Kessie was brought in by Xavi to replace De Jong. This helped the team stay on course, and Barcelona managed to get some possession for a while, which frustrated the home fans.
Griezmann may have snatched a point if it weren’t for Araujo’s crucial clearance on the line in the final minute, which brought the game back to life after Torres and Savic were shown red cards.
Silva, a 37-year-old veteran Spanish playmaker for Real Sociedad, capitalized on Almeria’s defensive confusion in the box to nip in and score the opening goal shortly after the break.
Five minutes later, Alexander Sorloth scored his sixth league goal of the season, extending La Real’s lead.