Already a man under pressure after Barcelona's 3-0 smash and grab at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, Santiago Solari will now face a fresh onslaught of criticism as his struggling side came out second-best once again. The Real Madrid manager had decided to shuffle his pack after the defeat in midweek, swapping Lucas Vazquez for the under-fire Gareth Bale on the right flank as he searched for the killer finish that had eluded his side three days earlier.
But Bale let his manager down on the night, starting barely two minutes in when he ballooned a well-placed free-kick well over the bar. Los Blancos, seemingly keen for revenge on their old rivals, went close again on 13 minutes when Sergio Ramos and then Toni Kroos saw powerful shots blocked in the area. Barcelona soon woke up, and Lionel Messi went close with a lob from close range that bounced just wide.
Then, in almost an exact replica of Messi's chance, Ivan Rakitic was slipped through on goal with just Thibaut Courtois to beat. The Croatian showed the composure Messi had lacked, and dinked a beautifully measured lob over the Madrid goalkeeper and into the net. Successive chances for Barcelona to add a second came and went, while Vinicius repeatedly threatened down the Madrid left but couldn't find a finish.
Messi then became embroiled in a fierce row with Ramos, with the Real Madrid captain seemingly intentionally elbowing the Argentine just before the break. Messi stayed on the floor for a while, clutching his face, before screaming at Ramos as he got to his feet.
The chances continued to flow after the break, and Karim Benzema missed the chance of the match when he missed the ball completely when trying to connect with a bouncing cross. Exasparated with his side's profligancy, Solari replaced the ineffective Bale with Marco Asensio, and the Welshman was whistled and jeered as he left the pitch.
Messi and Dembele went close as the visitors looked to end the game as a contest, before Vinicius twice got into good positions and twice fired well wide of the target. Isco made a shock appearance from the bench with 15 minutes left, but the Spaniard and his team-mates struggled to get a hold on the game as the clock ticked towards the game's end.
Asensio and Carvajal were booked late on as the hosts' frustration began to mount, and in the end Barcelona held on comfortably for another famous victory in the Spanish capital. The Catalans extend their lead at the top of La Liga to 10 points over nearest rivals Atletico, who have a game in hand, while Real Madrid remain in third, 12 points off the pace.