Fermin Lopez double sends Barcelona three points clear at La Liga summit

Fermin Lopez scored twice as Barcelona came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 at the Metropolitano Stadium and move three points clear at the top of La Liga.

Giuliano Simeone put Atletico ahead after 10 minutes, but Lopez equalised shortly before half-time before scoring the winner in the 66th minute after being played through by Lamine Yamal.

Spanish champions Barcelona lead second-placed Real Madrid by three points after their 3-0 win over Valencia on Saturday. Atletico remain third, two points further behind.

The result gives Barcelona some revenge after Atletico eliminated them from last season’s Champions League quarter-finals and Copa del Rey.

“Coming off last season, when they beat us… we knew what they were going to offer — a very difficult game,” Lopez told Movistar.

“It got tricky for us in the first half with their goal, but I think we knew how to come back and we had a great match.”

The match began at a high tempo, with both sides hitting the woodwork in the opening stages. Julian Alvarez, who tried and failed to force a summer move from Atletico to Barcelona, rounded Joan Garcia but was denied by the defence.

From the resulting corner, Marc Pubill headed against the crossbar with Garcia beaten. Barcelona then went close when Pedri struck the woodwork after being set up by Yamal.

Atletico took the lead when Alvarez crossed for Giuliano Simeone to score from close range. Garcia later prevented Alvarez from adding a second as Barcelona struggled to find their rhythm.

However, Lopez levelled in unexpected fashion. After his route into the penalty area was blocked, the ball fell back to him and he quickly drove a shot past Jan Oblak.

Alvarez missed another chance early in the second half, lifting the ball over the crossbar after running through on goal.

“He’s a great player, we love him… we need the best version of Julian Alvarez, without him we won’t get to where we want to be,” Atletico manager Diego Simeone said.

Yamal then supplied Lopez, who kept his composure to beat Oblak. It was the Spain international’s seventh league goal in 11 top-flight appearances this season.

Barcelona managed the closing stages effectively to secure victory before the international break, despite recent criticism following defeats by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

“We have the quality to win these matches… I totally believe in the team,” Barcelona manager Hansi Flick told reporters. “In the second half especially we did a great job today, it’s not easy to win here.”

Diego Simeone said Atletico had performed as planned, while captain Koke said the defeat was their first in La Liga since September 5.

“I have nothing to complain about, we played the match we wanted to play,” Simeone said. “I’m leaving here knowing that we are a work in progress, that we still have things to improve, and that obviously we have players who still need to keep growing.”

Fourth-placed Real Betis won 2-0 at Elche, while Real Sociedad beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0. Villarreal defeated Getafe 2-0 and Celta Vigo drew 0-0 with Levante.