By 
Fermin Lopez scored twice as Barcelona came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Sunday, moving three points clear at the top of LaLiga.
The Spanish champions opened up a three-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who beat Valencia 3-0 on Saturday, while Atletico remained third, a further two points behind.
Giuliano Simeone put Atletico ahead in a high-octane opening spell at the Metropolitano Stadium before Lopez equalised shortly before half-time.
The 23-year-old Spain international then struck the winner in the 66th minute after Lamine Yamal played him through, securing the victory despite Barcelona not being at their best.
Atletico had beaten Barcelona in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals and Copa del Rey, but the Catalans gained some measure of revenge with Sunday’s result.
After coming under criticism following defeats by Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in recent weeks, Hansi Flick’s side showed they could rise to the occasion in a major fixture.
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The match began at a frenetic pace, with both sides hitting the woodwork in the opening stages.
Atletico took the lead in the 10th minute after Alvarez opened up Barcelona’s defence with a cross that Giuliano Simeone turned home from close range.
Barcelona struggled to find their rhythm but went into the break level after Lopez struck against the run of play. His route into the box was blocked, but the ball fell loose to the midfielder, who quickly fired past Jan Oblak.
Early in the second half, Alvarez missed a good opportunity to extend Atletico’s lead, lifting the ball over the crossbar after running through on goal.
The miss proved costly when Barcelona took the lead. Yamal threaded a clever pass through Atletico’s defence and Lopez kept his composure to beat Oblak.
The goal was Lopez’s seventh in 11 LaLiga appearances this season.
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