Ousmane Dembele’s strike left Barcelona three points clear at the top of La Liga with a tense 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Capitalizing on the defeat of champions Real Madrid by Villarreal, Barcelona recorded an impressive victory at the Metropolitano.
Away from suspended top-scorer Robert Lewandowski, Xavi picked on Ansu Fati in his stead, but it was Dembele who made the difference in the 22nd minute, completing a clever move.
Atlético increased the pressure, a brilliant Ronald Araujo clearing the line at the death for Antoine Griezmann, but Diego Simeone’s side could not find the equaliser.