Lewandowski scores as Barca fight back to beat Atletico

Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski scored an 87th-minute winner for Barcelona against 10-man Atletico Madrid, sending his side seven points clear at the top of Spain’s La Liga.

In a bad-tempered match, Barca were heading for a frustrating draw against opponents who played the whole of the second half with 10 men following Nico Gonzalez’s straight red card at the end of the first half.

After Atletico defeated Barca over two legs in the Copa del Rey semi-final, this was the fourth meeting between the two rivals this season, with another two fixtures to follow inside the next two weeks in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

In an incident-filled encounter, the home side took the lead through a well-placed finish by Giuliano Simeone, the son of Atletico boss Diego, in the 39th minute.

But their lead lasted just three minutes, with England forward Marcus Rashford scoring through the legs of goalkeeper Juan Musso before Gonzalez was shown a straight red for denying Lamine Yamal a goalscoring opportunity.