LIONEL MESSI underlined his ability to make the difference on big occasions by hitting a sensational late goal to give Barcelona a 1-0 win at title rival Atletico Madrid on Sunday as the champion reclaimed top spot in La Liga from Real Madrid.

The win extended the Catalan team’s unbeaten run against the Madrid rival to 19 league matches.

“It’s always a big advantage to have Messi in even games like these,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said.

Messi struck with a low left-footed shot from outside the area after being set up by Luis Suarez to keep Barcelona unbeaten against Atletico for nine years.

It was Messi’s 30th career goal against Atletico, which hadn’t lost at home in 17 matches in all competitions.

“Messi appeared out of the match for a long time, but when he had a chance he broke free and scored a great goal,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.

The victory put Barcelona back at the top of the league above Real Madrid — which won at Alaves on Saturday — on goal difference.

Atletico dropped to sixth place, six points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, which have a game in hand after their October clasico was postponed until Dec. 18 because of a separatist rally in the Catalan capital.

Sevilla stayed third after beating last-place Leganes 1-0 earlier Sunday, while Real Sociedad is in fourth place after routing Eibar 4-1 Saturday.

“The league is very long, we have to keep working to stay close to the leaders,” Simeone said.

The match marked Antoine Griezmann’s return to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium after being transferred to Barcelona at the end of last season.

He was loudly jeered by most Atletico fans nearly every time he touched the ball. The France striker had a quiet performance and never posed a significant threat.

Atletico had most of the chances at the Metropolitano, but both teams squandered good opportunities throughout the match.

Each side hit the woodwork in the first half, and both goalkeepers — Atletico’s Jan Oblak and Barcelona’s Marc-Andreter Stegen — made some good saves to keep the game scoreless.

Messi broke the deadlock after an exchange with Suarez, whose perfect touch just outside the box set up the playmaker’s well-placed low shot. (SD-Agencies)