Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde praised Atletico Madrid after victory over their nearest title rivals.

Barca took a huge step towards securing the LaLiga Santander with a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday evening,.

Diego Costa's red card changed the course of the game, but Valverde was still keen to praise Atletico.

"The expulsion changed the rhythm," he said.

"The match stopped because of the mess, we couldn't have expected it.

"We played better in the second half. They're dangerous, but [Jan] Oblak had a great game."