Barcelona 4-2 Atletico Madrid: 5 talking points as Blaugrana move into top four with emphatic win | La Liga 2021-22

#3 Dani Alves enjoys a torrid night at the office

Dani Alves scored his first La Liga goal since 2013 in the win over Atletico Madrid

Dani Alves has enjoyed a great start to his second stint with Barcelona and bagged an assist and a goal in the club's 4-2 rout of Atletico Madrid. The win helped the hosts leapfrog the capital club into fourth place in the league standings.

Alves delivered a crisp cross into the box in the 10th minute which was met wonderfully by left-back Jordi Alba on the volley for the equalizing goal. He would later go on to get his name on the scoresheet in the 49th minute, which was his first goal in La Liga since his goal in the 3-2 win over Sevilla in September 2013.

While a goal and an assist in the first 48 minutes of the game looked good for the 38-year-old defender, his participation in the game was cut short in the 69th minute after the referee deemed his high foot on Carrasco a dangerous challenge.

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#2 Atletico Madrid concede four goals in La Liga for the first time since 2012

Atletico Madrid have already conceded more goals this season than last season with 16 games left to play

Atletico Madrid's defensive frailties were exposed yet again as Barcelona managed to find the back of the net four times in this game, with the first three goals coming in the first 43 minutes of the game.

The capital club had established themselves as one of the best defensive sides across Europe's top five leagues over the last few seasons but have already conceded more goals (30) than they conceded in their title-winning run last season (25).

This was also the first occasion since 2012 when they had conceded four goals in the league, with Barcelona being the last side to do so, recording a 4-1 win in the 2012-13 campaign at the Camp Nou.

They have conceded four or more goals on two occasions since, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund recording 4-0 wins in the Champions League.

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#1 Xavi guides Barcelona into the top four with the gap at the top reduced to 12 points

Barcelona recorded back-to-back wins in La Liga for the first time on Sunday

Barcelona continued their solid run under Xavi as they recorded two wins in a row in La Liga for the first time on Sunday. The win over Atletico Madrid helped them replace the visiting side in fourth place in the league standings.

They have lost just one game in the league since Xavi took over the reins at the club and this was just the second time that the Catalan club scored four goals in the league this term.

Though the Catalans have moved into the top four, league leaders Real Madrid enjoy a 12-point lead over them while Sevilla, in second place, lead Barcelona by nine points. So despite a convincing win over the reigning champions, it's too soon to say they are back in the title race.