Barcelona have finally won a big game. They had succumbed to Paris Saint-Germain, lost to Real Madrid and even raised doubts among some of their own supporters about whether they were capable of competing with the heavyweights. Then they travelled to Madrid and not only withstood Atlético’s attacks but also beat them with a comeback, defending their position at the top of the La Liga table ahead of the two-week international break. It was not the finest performance produced by Hansi Flick, but it was a mature display of the kind Barcelona had failed to deliver both in last season’s Copa del Rey and in their Champions League matches. This 2–1 victory at the end of the 12th round is proof that the reigning Spanish champions are ready to claim another title.5? – El @FCBarcelona_es ❤️💙 se ha impuesto en sus últimos cuatro partidos como visitante ante el Atlético de Madrid en @LaLiga. Podría convertirse en el tercer equipo en la historia de la competición que logra cinco victorias seguidas en terreno rojiblanco, tras el Athletic en 1955 (5V) y el Real Madrid en 2013 (6V). Vereda. #AtletiBarça #Atleti #FCBarcelona— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 8, 2026 For everyone who had been saying that it was easy to beat Levante, Alavés, Athletic Bilbao and even Betis, Barça made sure they could celebrate when facing a team from their own weight class. What they had failed to do in their previous two attempts, in Paris and in El Clásico, they managed this time. And with a three-point lead over the Royal Club and a five-point advantage over the other Madrid side, currently second in the table, it is clear why they are favourites to cross the finish line first at the end of May.Part of the reason is that Barça are like a many-headed monster. You can contain one head, but another regularly grows in its place. At the Metropolitano, Raphinha was not at his best, Lamine Yamal certainly sparkled but did not score, while Fermín López emerged as the star of the evening. The youngster, who has made meteoric progress over the past two years, fired two shots into Diego Simeone’s side and prevented Los Colchoneros from taking over at the top of the table, despite their taking the lead thanks to an explosive start and a goal from Cholo’s son, Giuliano. Neither then, nor especially later, did Barça lose their heads. There were difficult moments, certainly, but the visitors looked like a team that could happily enjoy their own brand of sweet football even in the hostile atmosphere of the Metropolitano. Perhaps it was not quite as easy on the eye as it had been at the start of the season, but since this was a victory they had been waiting for, it will be celebrated all the more in Catalonia.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Barcelona fans will be chanting Fermín López’s full name. The youngster, who missed the World Cup only because of injury, has been shining this season and already has eight goals and seven assists in 15 appearances. That means he has produced something tangible for Flick’s team in virtually every match. Tonight, he delivered the finishing touch in the style of Raphinha. First, towards the end of the opening half, he reacted to David Hancko’s clearance and made Barcelona’s pressure count. Then came his second, when he met Lamine Yamal’s pass first time, on the turn, without even looking towards Jan Oblak, cooling the heat in the Metropolitano stands. If we look exclusively at La Liga, Fermín has seven goals and five assists and ranks just behind Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé in terms of combined goal contributions.In many ways, the derby was reminiscent of the previous league meeting, when Giuliano Simeone scored the opening goal for Atlético in April, only for Barcelona to turn the game around through Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski. This time, Giuliano was once again on target, scoring in the 10th minute by getting a foot to a dangerous ball played across by Julián Álvarez. At that point, it seemed that Cholo’s men were ready to make life unbearable for the league leaders. Those were the moments when the hosts looked as though they had been fired out of a catapult, relentlessly attacking Barça’s defence and biting like a rabid dog. They could have scored a few more times, too. Julián Álvarez, who had been at the centre of a summer transfer saga over a possible move to Camp Nou, failed to convert two excellent chances. The first, even before the opening goal, was an inexplicable miss. He was clean through on Joan García, decided to dribble past him and got it wrong. By the time he realised what he had done, the chance was gone. The next opportunity was not quite as good, but he wasted that one too. However, having made amends with an assist, it seemed that Atlético had a plan. The only thing they lacked was the energy to carry it out.Barcelona had plenty of that. They were superior both physically and mentally. Little by little, they began to take control of proceedings, with Pedri rattling the crossbar early on, while Lamine Yamal threatened with long-range efforts. And when Fermín scored towards the end of the first half, the whole world knew what was coming next. What followed was the gradual dismantling of their opponents through combination play, tempo, speed and intelligent attacking moves. One, then another, then a third. The only question was who would deliver the finishing touch, and when. Fermín took on that role and settled the derby with another goal. After that, there was barely any football played, even though Simeone tried to change things by bringing on Alexander Sørloth somewhat earlier and Jonathan David later on. There were occasional openings created by Álex Baena, but when a title contender in a match of this magnitude cannot even get close to the league leaders’ penalty area during the final half-hour, it becomes clear who is built for what and where everyone belongs.##NAJAVA_MECA_10102706##