A lively opening from both sides saw action at both ends within the first five minutes, with the first chance of note arriving when Raphinha blazed a shot over, whilst Atleti’s Alex Baena was a willing runner for the visitors as they attempted to assert some authority.
For all of Barcelona’s early possession, Atleti were sharper with their passing, and as the game approached the midway point of the first half, it was Baena's brilliantly-timed run from the centre circle and nonchalant finish which gave his side the opener.
Predictably, there followed a sustained period of Barca attacks, and though a five-man back line from Atleti initially held firm, Raphinha found some space and rounded Jan Oblak for a well-crafted equaliser just seven minutes after the visitors’ opener.
As the all-out assault from the hosts continued, Dani Olmo was fouled in the area by Pablo Barrios, but Robert Lewandowski’s awful penalty flew into the Camp Nou stands.
Oblak then produced a world-class save from the Polish international’s bullet header to keep the scores level.
Barça began the second half on the front foot, hunting down their opponents at every opportunity, but it was Julian Alvarez with the first chance as his attempted chip was gathered easily by Joan Garcia.
Raphinha and Giuliano Simeone both screwed shots wide when well placed, before Lewandowski was inches away from converting the former’s low cross.
A frantic few minutes ended when Baena pulled his hamstring and was taken off, and shortly afterwards, Olmo got away from his marker to slide home a left-footed finish. Injured in the process, he was immediately subbed off for Ferran Torres.
Buoyed by the goal, it was all Barca in terms of possession and chance creation, and yet with one of the best chances of the match, Thiago Almada somehow missed an open goal for Atleti.
The final stages of the match resembled a pinball machine, with Torres finding the net in the last minute of stoppage time to end Atleti’s resistance.
The result means that Barcelona have only lost one of the last 10 H2Hs (W8, D1), and although that defeat came in last season’s corresponding fixture, that’s the only defeat they’ve suffered in 20 LaLiga home H2Hs (W14, D5).