Ranking Atletico Madrid's 5 best players in 2-0 win against Barcelona | La Liga 2021-22

Atletico Madrid provided Barcelona with plenty of food for thought, beating a beleaguered Blaugrana side over the weekend. Diego Simeone's men managed to ease past the Catalan side's defense and scored twice in the first half to win the game 2-0.

Thomas Lemar and Luis Suarez scored to give Atletico Madrid the lead, and they held on for the rest of the game. The three points helped Los Rojiblancos move into second in the table as they continue to try and retain the league title.

Barcelona were ready to take the game to Atletico Madrid, and despite not being on the touchline, Ronald Koeman sent out a solid attacking XI. However, things backfired quickly as the home side played well on the counter. Joao Felix, Thomas Lemar and Luis Suarez combined well to give the Catalan side's defenders a tough time.

Koeman changed the system at half-time and it did help Barcelona get more control of the game. However, Atletico Madrid did not let the visitors do a lot in and around the box, and barring one good chance, the Catalan side never looked like scoring.

Here are Atletico Madrid's top five players from their 2-0 win over Barcelona:

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#5 Jan Oblak

Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak.

Jan Oblak did not have a lot to do as Barcelona managed just two shots on target. The goalkeeper was called into action at the hour mark when Philippe Coutinho was left unmarked in the box.

The Brazilian had a lot of time and space to place his shot, but Oblak guessed right and managed to collect the near post shot comfortably. It is also safe to say the Slovenian keeper's presence in goal was enough to give the Catalan side second thoughts about shooting from distance.

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#4 Joao Felix

Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix dribbles past Barcelona's Oscar Mingueza.

Joao Felix made his first start of the campaign and seemingly cemented his place in the team. The Portuguese star was ready to receive the ball throughout the game and also had a go at the goal whenever possible.

Diego Simeone confirmed the tactic was to let Felix have a free role in the team and occupy the spaces left by Barcelona. He said:

"We knew that Barcelona would give us space to play. They're not in a good moment, but it's Barcelona and things can change in one game. We had a lot of space, we know if we had the ball and turned, we could create chances."

The tactic worked to perfection as Joao Felix made the crucial passes that led to both goals for Atletico Madrid on the night.

#3 Koke

Atletico Madrid's Koke (right) fights for the ball against Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.

Atletico Madrid needed someone to link the attack and defense against Barcelona, and Koke was available at all times. The Spaniard captained the home side and was all over the pitch.

Koke teamed up well with Rodrigo de Paul and Marcos Llorente on the night, but his individual impact on the game was noticeable from the beginning. While his partners were sprinting up and down to close in on the Barcelona players, the Atletico Madrid captain closed the passing lines to make things harder for the Catalan players.

He ended the game with five ball recoveries, three tackles, and a pass success of 83%.

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#2 Luis Suarez

Atletico Madrid forward Luis Suarez.

Luis Suarez had a point to prove against the side that let him go last summer, and he did. The Uruguayan was a tough player to handle and gave Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo nightmares on the pitch.

Barcelona's biggest mistake on the pitch was giving Luis Suarez too much space and time to work with. It also seemed clear that both centre-backs were scared of getting close to the former Barcelona forward. Suarez got an assist and a goal on the night before making way for Antoine Griezmann in the 72nd minute.

Suarez did not celebrate his goal but made a cryptic gesture that fans suggested was a message for Koeman. However, the Uruguayan rebuffed the speculation and said it was not directed at the Barcelona manager.

"It was for the people who know that I have the same number and that I am still using the same phone. It was not for Koeman, not at all. If you want to know... I had been joking with my children that I would do that."

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#1 Thomas Lemar

Atletico Madrid's Thomas Lemar celebrates after scoring against Barcelona.

Thomas Lemar was easily the man of the match against Barcelona as he got a goal and an assist, just like Luis Suarez. The Frenchman started as an attacking midfielder but often drifted wide and made space for Joao Felix and Suarez in the middle.

Barcelona's Óscar Mingueza could not get anywhere close to Thomas Lemar and the same can be said about Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan centre-back was pulled out of position with ease by the Atletico Madrid star during the game.

Lemar ended the game with two shots, four tackles, an assist and a goal in what was an extremely impressive display.