(Reuters) – Barcelona went three points clear at the top of LaLiga on Sunday with a 1-0 away win at Atletico Madrid, thanks to a first-half goal from Ousmane Dembele.
Rivals and second-placed Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal on Saturday, giving Barca the chance to seize the advantage in the league after 16 rounds.
The visitors got the only goal of the game after 22 minutes when Dembele was played clear inside the box and sent the ball into the bottom right corner.
The hosts started to wake up at the end of the half, taking over possession and sending Barcelona into defensive mode.
Two minutes into stoppage time Barca’s Ferran Torres and Atletico’s Stefan Savic were sent off for violent conduct as the visitors held on for the narrow win.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk)
