Atletico Madrid 1-0 Barcelona: 5 hits and flops as Marc-Andre ter Stegen's blunder allows Los Rojiblancos to seal all 3 points | La Liga 2020-21

Flop: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Another blank for Barcelona captain Lionel Messi

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)

Miguel Hermoso got the better of Ousmane Dembele

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)

Antoine Griezmann disappointed once again

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.