Ferran Torres’ strike on the stroke of half-time was enough to give Barcelona an important victory over Atletico Madrid in their pursuit of the La Liga title.
The former Manchester City forward was found superbly by Raphinha from the left flank and coolly slotted the ball beyond Jan Oblak.
The defeat was a bit harsh on Atletico who could have gone in front within a minute of kick-off when former Barcelona man Antoine Griezmann saw his effort come back off the crossbar.
In an entertaining second half, both sides had a number of chances, but none better than Raphinha’s when Robert Lewandowski’s low, driven cross along the six-yard box presented him with an open goal, but the Brazilian could only divert the ball back towards the out-of-position Oblak to gather.
The win leaves Barcelona 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, while Atletico are five points adrift of their city rivals in third.
