Fermín’s Double Fires Barcelona 3 Points Clear at the TopSports

Barcelona gradually found their way into the game through Lamine Yamal and Pedri, and the equaliser arrived on the stroke of half-time. Pedri drove through the middle of the Atlético defence and Fermín swept a loose ball into the corner to make it 1-1, a goal that changed the momentum of the match.

The visitors dominated after the break, and the winner came in the 66th minute when Yamal threaded a superb pass into Fermín’s path and the midfielder finished first time past Jan Oblak to complete a magnificent double. It was Fermín’s eighth goal of the season and came on his 100th LaLiga appearance, according to ESPN.

Atlético coach Diego Simeone refused to blame his players after the defeat, saying they deserved credit for their performance and that Barcelona deserved the win. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted the first half had not been perfect but said his side controlled the second half and deserved the three points.

The result takes Barcelona to 33 points from 12 matches, with 11 wins and a single defeat, the home Clásico loss to Real Madrid last month. Real Madrid, who beat Valencia 3-0 on Saturday, sit second on 30 points, while Atlético are third on 28 after seeing their seven-game LaLiga winning run come to an end.

There was another milestone for Yamal, who reached 40 LaLiga assists at the age of 19 years and 118 days. Elsewhere in Spain, late goals from Rodrigo Riquelme and Marc Bartra kept Real Betis in fourth place with a 2-0 win at Elche, Real Sociedad beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0, Villarreal beat Getafe 2-0 and Levante held Celta Vigo to a goalless draw.