Atlético flew into the game, fuelled by the noise. A clearance from Pau Cubarsí denied them in the first minute. After 10 minutes the pressure was no more than Atlético had earned, and they kept coming.
It had not been easy. Barcelona had resisted, re-established control amid the chaos and found a way to manage the night. There will be more fights to come. Both sides, not only Barcelona, remain in the title race.
Álvarez, the striker who had wanted to join Barcelona in the summer and had been forced to stay, moved through the chaos. Running clear, he lifted a shot over García and over the bar. The chance was gone; frustration replaced it.
Pedri drove at the Atlético defence, his footwork taking him through a tight gap to find Fermín. The two goals from Fermín, split by the interval, turned the match.
They had been behind and on edge. By the end they were still standing first, the result offering more than the points: a way through a fight that had left them vulnerable.
Barcelona could see space behind the visiting defence. Koke released Julián Álvarez into it. Barcelona could be grateful that the lead, at that stage, was still only one.
There was still vulnerability when Atlético broke out, but Barcelona began to see more of the ball, edged into the contest and equalised.
It was not finished. Olés from the visiting fans looked premature. Pubill ran through and found Álvarez, whose deflected shot looped over.
The Atlético goalkeeper insisted his team would do it again and were not going to give up.
Barcelona then pushed Atlético back. The press was better applied, and the ball moved with more precision. Tiredness gave Barcelona time and space. Atlético’s threat grew less insistent while Barcelona’s increased. By full time Barcelona had 19 shots.