Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday night to move four points clear of their rivals at the top of La Liga. Here are 5 t...
Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday night to move four points clear of their rivals at the top of La Liga.
Here are 5 things we learnt from the match courtesy of DailyMail
Luis Suarez Has Settled Perfectly At Barcelona
This was the evening that Luis Suarez forged his own place in the hearts of Barcelona supporters. He'd been chipping away at it before, with that fantastic scissors kick goal against Levante, with his slew of assists for Lionel Messi and Neymar.
But to score the winner in a Clasico and with as much class as he did here, has written him into the history books.
Having made his Barcelona debut in a disappointing defeat by Madrid, sinking his teeth into Los Blancos here was the perfect revenge for the Uruguayan.
Barcelona's attack, with Messi and Suarez in their prime and Neymar growing into his, will be the one to beat for the years to come, unless Real Madrid shuffle theirs again in the summer.
Gareth Bale Continues To Regress At Real Madrid
It would be unfair to suggest that Gareth Bale disappears in the big games.
After all, he scored a brilliant Copa del Rey final winner against Barcelona last season, and capped it with the goal which won Real Madrid the Champions League against rivals Atletico Madrid. And it was hard not to feel sorry for him at Camp Nou, when his first-half strike was ruled out thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo being offside in the buildup.
However, the Welshman doesn't fit the profile of Real Madrid, when it comes to football. He is a great player, but one whose pace and power outstrips his technique and tactical acumen.
Jordi Alba got the better of him and pressure continues to build on the Welshman.
He was on the fringes of this clash and the thunderous challenge by Gerard Pique to end a Bale breakaway was his game in a microcosm.
Gerard Pique Has Turned Things Around Spectacularly
The lowest point of Gerard Pique's season was probably when he was in hot water with Barcelona's police force and argued with them outside a casino in the early hours of the morning. Probably.
Maybe it was at the Santiago Bernabeu, in the first Clasico, which Barcelona lost, when he was run ragged. There were other low moments.
Despite this, in recent weeks he's build up his form and hit a high level. And on Sunday night he pushed that even higher, turning in a display of the highest quality. He is Barcelona's rock, once again.
This Could Be Carlo Ancelotti And Xavi's Final Clasico
A front cover of Barcelona newspaper Sport earlier this week claimed that Carlo Ancelotti could be sacked if Madrid suffered a painful defeat in the Clasico. He'll probably survive after this, but it's unlikely he'll be at the Santiago Bernabeu next season, if he doesn't turn things around in La Liga.
That will be hard, given Barcelona now have a four-point lead on his Madrid side. The Champions League offers another avenue to a trophy, but blocking the way are Atletico Madrid, a side Real have failed to beat six times this season, losing four times and drawing twice. The walls are closing in on Carlo.
A tip of the hat to Luis Enrique, meanwhile. While he's proved to be a gruff customer in press conferences, he showed his sentimental side by throwing Xavi on for a few minutes in what may be the midfielder's last Clasico, before a lucrative move to the USA or Qatar. It wasn't just for old time's sake though, as the veteran midfielder helped to stifle Madrid attacks by slowing the pace.
Cristiano Ronaldo Wins The Battle But Lionel Messi Wins The War
The tussle between these two footballing titans rages on. Cristiano Ronaldo scored, which means he'll be going home happy despite the defeat.
That's his ninth goal in eight games at Camp Nou. Madrid and Ronaldo's overall form is still shaky, but this performance from both team and star player, were improvements on some previous outings.
Messi meanwhile, while not his team's individually most impressive performer on this occasion, kept everything ticking over nicely. His early nutmeg on Toni Kroos was cheeky, his assist for Jeremy Mathieu's goal delightful.
He dipped out of the game for a while but returned with a vengeance, creating several chances which the likes of Neymar should have taken. Personal glory for Ronaldo is all well and good, but Messi's contribution to the team helped made the difference.