Video: Barcelona beat Atlético thanks to Lewandowski's strike

Atlético dominated the early stages of the match with their usual physical intensity and opened the scoring in the 39th minute through Giuliano Simeone, who capitalised on a precise cross from Clément Lenglet to score with a powerful header.

Barcelona didn’t give the Rojiblancos much time to breathe, as the response came swiftly in the 42nd minute with a superb goal from Marcus Rashford, who capitalised on a decisive pass from Dani Olmo and cut inside from the left to level the score.

The final minutes of the half were tense, with yellow cards and chances at both ends, before Nicolás González was sent off in the 45+7th minute, with the first half ending 1-1.

As the second half got underway, Barcelona gradually imposed their rhythm on the game, capitalising on Lamine Yamal’s movement and pace down the right flank.

Barça tried to build attacks from deep, but the Atlético defence, led by Rubén Le Normand and José María Giménez, remained organised.

In the 75th minute, Yamal sent in a long ball, but it was easily collected by Atlético goalkeeper Juan Musso.

The Catalan pressure continued without resulting in goals, with attempts from João Cancelo and Ferran Torres brilliantly saved by Musso.

In the 78th minute, manager Hansi Flick made a double substitution to bolster the side: he brought on Gavi in place of Eric García to inject some dynamism into midfield, and introduced Robert Lewandowski for Marcus Rashford to give the attack greater experience and a stronger presence in front of goal.

These substitutions came at the perfect time, as Barcelona stepped up the pressure in search of a winning goal, particularly with the chance to move seven points clear of Real Madrid with eight games remaining.

In the 81st minute, a clear-cut chance was squandered after a pass from Pedri to Jules Koundé, but a superb intervention from Jiménez saved the day (with the offside flag raised).

The match came to a head in the 87th minute with a dramatic moment. João Cancelo skilfully intercepted the ball inside the box and struck it powerfully from a tight angle; Musso parried it, but the ball rebounded straight onto the chest of Robert Lewandowski, who wasn’t expecting it, and found the net in what was a thoroughly ‘lucky’ goal.

Atlético tried to respond in the 84th minute with a counter-attack towards Alexander Sørloth, but the chance went begging.

The match ended with a 2-1 win for Barcelona, confirming the team’s worthiness of top spot despite the difficulty of the away fixture.

This clash is merely the first chapter in a series of fiery battles between the two sides, as they prepare for a decisive encounter next Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.