Barcelona came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Sunday in a huge game at the top of the table in La Liga. Fermin Lopez was the match-winner for the champions with a brace to ensure the Catalans stay top during the international break.

Let’s take a look at three talking points from the game…

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Another brace for Fermin, and another decent showing from a player who always seems to turn up in the big games.

Can you believe there was even a time when there were question marks over whether he should start a game or not?!

Putting the goals to one side for a moment, Fermin is one of those players who can always be relied upon to give 100% effort.

Even when a match appears to be a lost cause, you won’t find the 24-year-old shirking his responsibilities.

Defending like his life depended on it, chasing down every loose ball, closing down his nearest opponent… Fermin can do it all.

On a night when Raphinha was off colour, and Lamine was largely marked out of the game, Fermin’s goals couldn’t have been better timed on his 100th La Liga appearance.

Simply brilliant!

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Getty Images

Many times before now, Joan Garcia has been lauded, and he deserves to be again, because without his excellence between the sticks, Atleti could’ve been out of sight well before the half-time whistle sounded.

In a game where a number of Barca players were below par, Garcia’s all-round game was good, and his distribution under pressure was excellent.

The early one-on-one with Julian Alvarez showed a masterful command of his area and the unfolding situation, too.

A sense of responsibility at the back shouldn’t be overlooked either, with the Barca defence often at sixes and sevens in another big game.

The bigger issue for Garcia was the nervousness from his back four, as it meant Garcia was often a sitting duck when Atleti poured forward.

A gem of a goalkeeper that just keeps getting better and better. Wrap him in cotton wool.

Though there were certainly moments to admire from Barcelona’s midfielders, and the team more generally, without Rodri in situ, there was evidently a lack of control in the central areas for long periods of the match.

Kudos to Atleti for not allowing Barca’s players to settle on the ball, though the Catalans are better than to allow that to happen consistently.

The visitors can consider themselves lucky that they were still in the game at half-time, because the inability to keep the ball in the first half could’ve proved fatal to their chances of winning the game.

Marc Bernal was the player to come in for Rodri, preferred to Frenkie de Jong by Hansi Flick, but he is still learning his craft, of course, and can do no worse than learn as much as possible from his contemporary.

Pedri shone yet again but looks in need of a rest, and his continued starts speak of either a lack of depth or a lack of belief from Hansi Flick in his other options.

Flick did end up turning to Frenkie in the second half. The Dutchman initially appeared at right-back and then moved into midfield.

Barca were vastly improved in the second half as they completed a comeback and secured a big win. With Rodri not due back until December, Flick can ponder his midfield choices over the international break.