Supporters of Spanish giants FC Barcelona have flooded to social media on Sunday evening, to heap praise on midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Xavi Hernandez of course guided his troops back into action a short time ago.

Amid a tight race for Champions League football in La Liga, the Blaugrana welcomed champions Atletico Madrid to the Camp Nou, aware that a 3-point haul would see them leapfrog Diego Simeone and co. into 4th in the table.

And, when all was said and done, emerge victorious is precisely what Barca managed.

A pulsating 90 minutes, featuring six goals, countless further chances, a red card and near-endless drama, ultimately saw the day’s hosts emerge on the right side of a 4-2 scoreline.

After Yannick Carrasco opened the evening’s scoring inside eight minutes to put Atleti in front, Barcelona quickly came roaring back, first levelling things up in stunning fashion courtesy of Jordi Alba:

This was followed by both Gavi and Ronald Araujo finding their way past Jan Oblak in the visitors’ net, too, before Dani Alves’ first goal since returning to the Camp Nou last month put the Blaugrana out of sight shortly after the interval.

There was still time for Luis Suarez to nod home against his former employers, whilst Alves was later sent packing for a ridiculous challenge on Carrasco, but, in the end, the result was all that mattered, as Barcelona climbed back into La Liga’s Champions League spots.

‘Masterclass’

On the back of the action coming to a close in the Catalan capital, it should therefore come as little surprise to hear of a number of the hosts’ stars being singled out for praise.

The likes of Adama Traore (lining out for his 2nd debut), Ferran Torres, Gavi and Alves, prior to his red card, thoroughly impressed over the course of the 90 minutes.

As alluded to above, though, it is another member of Xavi’s ranks who, post-match, has been widely singled out as the quiet difference-maker on Sunday.

The player in question? Frenkie de Jong.

Taking to social media in their absolute numbers, the Barca faithful have made clear their appreciation for the efforts of their oft-maligned Dutch international, with some of the highlights from across Twitter showcased below:

 

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