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Atletico Madrid's long wait for a La Liga win over Barcelona ended on Saturday night as Yannick Carrasco's strike earned the Rojiblancos a stunning 1-0 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The Belgian pounced on a mistake from Marc-Andre ter Stegen, nutmegging the German before firing into an empty net as the Catalans never recovered in the match.
The victory, Atletico Madrid's first against Barcelona in the top flight since February 2010 and Diego Simeone's first-ever, helped to keep the side's unbeaten record intact and draw level with Real Sociedad at the top. Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman's team dropped down to 10th, their worst start to a La Liga season since 1991.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Flop: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Often a reliable figure in the squad, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen came a cropper on Saturday night. His reckless mistake in the first half ultimately proved decisive as the visitors were never able to recover from their deficit, succumbing to a third defeat in just eight games this season.
For reasons best known to him, the German came rushing out of his box in a moment of absolute madness and was nutmegged by Carrasco. The Belgian then nonchalantly slotted into an empty net from outside of the box.
The moment was quite reminiscent of his compatriot Manuel Neuer's blunder against South Korea at the 2018 World Cup. Even though Ter Stegen is capable of the sweeping style sometimes, this was one occasion where he paid the price.
Hit: Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid)
Yannick Carrasco was in full motion when Ter Stegen came rushing to him, but he instantly nudged the ball through the keeper's legs before rifling a shot into the empty net from about 30 yards out.
It was clinical stuff from the Belgian, who was a bag of tricks in the match, showing off some nimble footwork to bamboozle his markers while also testing the visitors with his direct runs.
In fact, the 27-year old attempted the most dribbles in the match (5), just one more than Lionel Messi, and completed four. He was at the heart of Atletico Madrid's offensive game against Barcelona.
Flop: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Watching the Catalans huff and puff in the first half made it seem like they only needed some Lionel Messi magic to get themselves out of their rut, as is often the case. However, the Barcelona skipper was largely anonymous, and his struggles with open-play goals surfaced again.
To label him a 'flop' doesn't mean he had a stinker. It simply means that Messi has set the bar so high that we expect him to pull a rabbit out of his hat in situations like this. However, the Argentine ace is 33 now and can no longer carry the team all by himself.
Hit: Miguel Hermoso (Atletico Madrid)
Former Espanyol defender Miguel Hermoso hasn't always been solid at the back for Atletico Madrid but he was top notch against Barcelona, putting in a spectacular shift at the heart of the Rojiblancos backline.
His main task in the match was to keep out Ousmane Dembele, which he managed to do, tracking the Frenchman like a shadow and constantly challenging him on the ball.
He made three successful tackles, two clearances and one interception, helping his side to a clean sheet against the unlikeliest of all opponents.
Flop: Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona)
There seems to be no relief in sight for the beleaguered Antoine Griezmann, who had another poor outing. The striker was back at his old stomping ground but remained a shadow of his rip-roaring self.
He barely even got a whiff of the ball. When Messi set him up towards the end with a lovely cross, the Frenchman headed his effort straight at Jan Oblak. This was the only shot he managed on target all night.
The World Cup winner has struck only twice from 10 games in all competitions this season, and with each passing game, it is increasingly looking like he'll go down as another expensive Barcelona flop.
