Villarreal also secured three points with a late 2-0 victory over Getafe, while Real Betis defeated Elche 2-0 to consolidate their place in the top four. Real Sociedad edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0, but Celta Vigo were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Levante.

Barcelona 2-1 Atletico Madrid: Fermin inspires comeback

Barcelona showed their championship qualities by recovering from an early setback to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1, with Fermin Lopez scoring twice to give Hansi Flick's side a three-point lead at the top of LaLiga. The victory also extended their impressive away record to six consecutive league wins.

Atletico started strongly and threatened through Julian Alvarez, while Marc Pubill came close when his header struck the crossbar. However, Barcelona responded through Pedri, who hit the woodwork, before Atletico took the lead in the 10th minute when Alvarez set up Giuliano Simeone for a close-range finish. Fermin equalised just before half-time with an excellent left-footed strike.

Barcelona took control after the break, with Lamine Yamal and Pedri both creating problems before Fermin struck again in the 66th minute, finishing first time from Yamal's perfectly weighted pass. Atletico struggled to respond, allowing the visitors to secure an important victory. Diego Simeone's side remain third, five points behind the leaders.

Villarreal 2-0 Getafe: Buchanan breaks the deadlock

Villarreal ended a difficult week with a deserved 2-0 victory over Getafe, scoring twice late in the contest. Tajon Buchanan opened the scoring in the 80th minute before Carlos Romero added a second in stoppage time.

The hosts dominated possession but initially struggled to create clear opportunities. Buchanan missed a good chance early on, while Getafe goalkeeper David Soria produced an excellent save to deny Santiago Mourino. Pape Gueye also missed a one-on-one opportunity after the break before Nicolas Pepe set up Buchanan for the opening goal. Romero then finished neatly to seal the points, leaving Getafe without an away goal or victory in LaLiga this season.

Celta Vigo 0-0 Levante: Ryan frustrates hosts

Celta Vigo extended their winless run in all competitions to four matches after being held to a goalless draw by Levante at Balaidos. The hosts dominated possession and thought they had scored twice in the first half, but goals from Javi Rueda and Pablo Duran were ruled out for offside.

Celta continued to push after the break, but Iago Aspas could not beat Mathew Ryan from a promising position, while substitute Javi Galan fired over. Ryan then produced an excellent double save to deny Duran with 10 minutes remaining. Levante held on for a valuable point but remain 17th, just one point above the relegation zone and still searching for their first away league victory.

Real Sociedad 1-0 Rayo Vallecano: Oskarsson delivers decisive blow

Real Sociedad returned to winning ways with a narrow victory over Rayo Vallecano, as Orri Oskarsson scored the only goal to end the visitors' six-match unbeaten run in this fixture. The hosts created several opportunities in the first half, with Takefusa Kubo hitting the woodwork and Oskarsson and Luka Sucic also threatening.

Rayo improved after the break and should have taken the lead when Pedro Diaz missed from close range after being set up by Andrei Ratiu. That miss proved costly as Oskarsson struck in the 75th minute, finishing after Ander Barrenetxea had set him up following Alex Remiro's long clearance. Rayo pushed for an equaliser, but Remiro made an important save from Florian Lejeune before Isi Palazon hit the post in stoppage time.

Elche 0-2 Real Betis: Riquelme and Bartra seal late win

Real Betis strengthened their position in the top four with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Elche, scoring twice in the closing stages. Both teams created opportunities in the first half, with Betis' Pablo Fornals and Troy Parrott going close, while Elche's German Valera and Federico Redondo missed promising chances.

Elche goalkeeper Matias Dituro produced several excellent saves after the break to deny Abde Ezzalzouli and Isco as Betis increased the pressure. However, he was beaten in the 81st minute when substitute Dani Ceballos delivered a cross, Jose Morante's header struck the post and Rodrigo Riquelme fired home after the home defence failed to clear. Marc Bartra then headed in a corner in the 89th minute to complete the victory and end Betis' three-game winless away run in all competitions.

Stanley Nwabali has high praise for Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Ronwen Williams