Barcelona continued to dominate Spain’s top tier, beating Atletico Madrid to move seven points clear at the top of the league standings and boost their title hopes.

The intense La Liga clash saw Atletico Madrid host Barcelona at the Metropolitano Stadium, with the hosts breaking the deadlock early through a goal from Giuliano Simeone, assisted by Clement Lenglet.

The league leaders responded just before half-time with a fine goal from Marcus Rashford, who netted his fifth goal of the season thanks to a well-worked move involving Dani Olmo.

Minutes before half-time, Diego Simeone’s side suffered a major setback following a tough challenge by González on Lamine Yamal, which led to a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

After the break, Barca responded late with a goal from Robert Lewandowski off the bench, scoring from a tight angle to seal the three points and complete the comeback.

The vital win came after Real Madrid were beaten 2-1 by Mallorca, allowing Hansi Flick’s side to increase their lead in the standings to seven points. The victory makes it 300 goals for Barcelona under the manager in just 107 games since he joined the club in 2024.

Both sides will meet again on Wednesday for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie. Over the weekend, Barcelona will host Espanyol, while Atletico will travel to face Sevilla.