Ernesto Valverde felt Barcelona dominated the game against Atletico on Saturday but gave credit to Diego Simeone's side for their work in defence.
Diego Costa gave Atletico the lead in the 77th minute with the game's first shot on target before Ousmane Dembele's last-minute leveler.
"Atletico sat back very deep, we had control of the game," Valverde said. "They defended very well and it was hard to find space. They were waiting for us to lose patience and to catch us on the counter.
"But we controlled it well. I remember Arthur losing the ball once and one counter-attack, but nothing else, save the goal, which was from a set play.
"We were on top and then one play and we're up against it. We equalised, which is good, but you always hope for more. We lacked the spark going forward that we wanted but that's because they've done well. We were always playing in their half..."
Valverde was also asked about Dembele, who's been in the news a lot over the last two weeks after being left out of the squad for the loss to Real Betis because he missed a training session.
"He's a great player and he has many assets to his game, among them goalscoring," Valverde said. "He's proving that. He's been spoken about a lot, excessively.
"It's true he wasn't called up for the last game but he's a player that we have to help to make sure that things work out and that he helps the team. We expect a lot from him because he has a huge talent."