Barcelona player ratings vs Atletico Madrid: Joao Felix woke up hungry! Loanee haunts parent club with star showing as Blaugrana stay in title race

It just had to be Joao Felix. On Sunday, the Barcelona loanee showed exactly why he is still rated so highly despite everything that has happened in his up-and-down career. Playing against his parent club Atletico Madrid, Felix turned in his best performance for the Blaugrana to date, and bagged the winning goal in a 1-0 win for Xavi's side.

Barca created a number of chances early, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski missing clear opportunities to put their side ahead. Felix, though, grabbed the much-deserved opener, darting down the left and dinking the ball over Jan Oblak — and he didn't hold back with his celebration, either!

The Portugal international was their primary outlet for the rest of the clash, as he darted at defenders, caused problems down the wing, and tracked back with the kind of vengeance he's been lacking since he arrived in Catalunya.

And although Atleti made things uncomfortable at times, the Blaugrana looked mostly composed in key areas. Their midfield trio — Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong — simply played through the Rojiblancos', and ensured that Barca never really lost their control of the game.

By the 76th minute, Felix was exhausted, grabbing the back of his hamstring, and half-limping off the pitch. For the first time since he arrived late in the transfer window, Barca fans rose to their feet to applaud what had been a special showing.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Olympic Stadium...