Barcelona produced an impressive comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 and move four points clear at the top of La Liga.
Alex Baena put Atletico ahead on Tuesday, but Raphinha equalized for the champions before Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres slotted home to end the visitors’ run of 13 consecutive league games without defeat.
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Barça might have been more comfortable had Robert Lewandowski not fired a first-half penalty over the bar.
Real Madrid, who are second, visit Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday aiming to bounce back Barca, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico remain fourth, six points behind the Catalans.
It was Barca’s fifth consecutive La Liga win after losing in El Clasico against Madrid in October, but they had not consistently shone in that period, and coming against a title rival, this performance gave Flick’s side a welcome boost.
According to Spanish reports, they were without defender Ronald Araujo, who is taking a mental health break, as well as ailing midfielder Frenkie de Jong and long-term absentees.
After a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea in the Champions League last week, followed by a shaky win over Alaves to take pole position in La Liga, there were nerves at the Camp Nou.
After a tense start, Atlético took the lead with a ball behind Barcelona’s consistently high defensive line.
Baena scored quickly and beat Joan Garcia, barely celebrating as he could feel the linesman’s flag waving behind him.
However, a VAR review showed that he was equal to Pau Québécois when the Spaniard took the break, and the goal was reinstated.
Barcelona responded quickly and equalized in the 26th minute when Pedri, fit to start, played in Raphinha.
The Brazilian winger, another player who has recently returned from injury, took the ball around Jan Oblak and fired it into the empty net.
Barça should have taken the lead, but Lewandowski spurned a penalty after Pablo Barrios brought down Dani Olmo, who went close to Oblak’s goal.
The Polish veteran almost made amends moments later, but Oblak brilliantly blocked his header from Lamine Yamal’s cross.
Raphinha had an effort early in the second half when it should have been on target, and Giuliano Simeone at the other end was unable to get a clear shot due to a signal on goal.
Olmo, who scored twice against Alaves on Saturday, sent Barcelona ahead with a superb finish after Lewandowski managed to curl the ball into his path.
Playmaker Olmo, who has struggled for consistency at Barca amid various physical problems, suffered a shoulder injury while scoring and was replaced by Marcus Rashford.
Pedri, who controlled the game for Barça, also got injured after 70 minutes and was replaced by Flick, with fans hoping it was only a scare ahead of next week’s crucial Champions League match against Frankfurt.
Atlético substitute Thiago Almada had his team’s best chance to equalise, but after breaking into the penalty area, he lost his balance and his finish was spoiled when Joan García faltered.
Oblak saved from Rashford in stoppage time before Alejandro Balde headed home Torres to give Barca the win and secure three vital points for his side in the title race, dealing a blow to Atletico’s own ambitions.
Rafinha praised Barcelona’s resilience in coming back to win.
“The important thing is to believe in the work. We know that in a lot of games it can happen (falling behind), but we are ready to come from behind,” the Barcelona captain told Movistar.
“We are building our confidence. We knew it was an important game. The three points are very important and can decide the league.
The Atletico goalkeeper said he was disappointed by the chances spurned by his team.
“We needed to score more goals. Barcelona played well today and we had a lot of chances. We had two chances to equalise, but it was not possible,” Oblak told Movistar.
“Their inside play was causing problems for us. They managed to find space and they created a lot of problems for us.”
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