Barcelona piled more misery on Real Madrid this evening with a second Clasico victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in the space of four days.
Ivan Rakitic scored the only goal of the game as Ernesto Valverde's side moved 10 points clear at the top of La Liga and 12 ahead of Los Blancos, whose slim hopes of catching the champions now look to be in ruins.
Madrid are left to pick through the pieces of their third defeat of the season at the hands of their greatest rivals, who remain on course for a treble.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how the players performed in the Spanish capital.
REAL MADRID
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Goal
Thibaut Courtois: Was given a warning shot when Messi lifted the ball over him before the goal, but failed to heed that as he went to ground early again, allowing Rakitic to open the scoring. Did well to prevent Suarez from doubling that lead, though. (5/10)
Defence
Dani Carvajal: Had a mixed evening, sometimes dealing with Dembele well but on other occasions being overrun on the right. Could have done with more help at times. (6/10)
Raphael Varane: Helped to deny Suarez a glorious chance and had a good opening of his own late on which he could not make count. Kept Messi and Suarez quiet for the most part. (6/10)
Sergio Ramos: A typically streetwise performance, with a couple of naughty challenges including an elbow on Messi right on the stroke of half time which could have resulted in yet another red card. The type of player you would always want on your team, but he could not make a decisive impact tonight. (6/10)
Sergio Reguilon: Continues to impress enough to be selected ahead of Marcelo. Dealt as well as could be expected with the threat of Messi and flashed a shot of his own wide of the target at the other end. (6/10)
Midfield
Luka Modric: Failed to impose himself on the game and show the type of form which earned him the Ballon d'Or. Was outshone by his compatriot Rakitic. (5/10)
Casemiro: Part of a trio which lost the midfield battle to Barcelona and was taken off with just under 15 minutes remaining as Madrid chased the game. (5/10)
Toni Kroos: Kroos looked like a shadow of his former self tonight. Too laboured in possession and was hooked just 10 minutes into the second half in favour of youngster Valverde. (4/10)
Attack
Gareth Bale: The whistles which greeted his departure were very much aimed at him rather than the decision to withdraw him. Failed to have any notable impact on the game and the supporters seem to have run out of patience with the Welshman. (4/10)
Karim Benzema: Has been in fine form for much of the campaign but failed to show up tonight. Had a few sights of goal which he could not take advantage of, and only the offside flag spared his blushes after a particularly glaring miss early in the second half. (4/10)
Vinicius Junior: Real Madrid's brightest spark. The 18-year-old lacked the killer final touch at times, but still registered the most shots, crosses, fouls won and chances created for his side. No mean feat for such a young player in the Clasico. (7/10)
Substitutes
Federico Valverde: Replaced the disappointing Kroos and was an improvement, but could not make any telling difference in the end. (6/10)
Marco Asensio: Was certainly more threatening than Bale, the man he replaced, but like others he could not turn some good positions into good chances. (6/10)
Isco: Also made Real Madrid look a bit more fluid going forward after being recalled to the squad. The fans were chanting his name before he came on, but he was unable to drag his side back into the match. (6/10)
BARCELONA
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Goal
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: Every save he had to make was fairly routine for a keeper of his quality, but he was safe as houses when called upon and typically comfortable with the ball at his feet. (7/10)
Defence
Sergi Roberto: Provided the assist for the goal with an incisive through-ball to Rakitic. Was otherwise kept busy by the enterprising Vinicius at the other end. (7/10)
Gerard Pique: A titanic performance from the centre-back. Made more clearances himself than the entire Real Madrid team combined, and even embarked on a run across his own six-yard box at one stage to rub the hosts' noses in it. (9/10)
Clement Lenglet: Made two crucial blocks inside his own penalty area, most importantly to deny a Vinicius strike which seemed to be goalbound. (8/10)
Jordi Alba: Not many outstanding moments, but he was a constant presence going forward and was a big reason behind Bale's anonymous display. (7/10)
Midfield
Ivan Rakitic: Finished his chance with all the poise of a Messi or Suarez. Helped Barcelona to win the midfield battle in addition to getting the all-important winner. (8/10)
Sergio Busquets: Was booked inside the opening two minutes and so had to be especially careful for the remainder of the game. Did his job well, as usual. (6/10)
Arthur: Helped to keep things ticking over in the middle of the park without any real highlights. Was replaced by Vidal, who was more impressive. (6/10)
Attack
Lionel Messi: Was furious with Ramos after being caught in the face at the end of the first half, but ultimately unable to exact any personal revenge in a football sense. A constant danger, as ever, but did not dominate the game in the way he so often does. (7/10)
Luis Suarez: Has scored five goals against Madrid already this season but squandered a glorious chance to add to that tally when he took too long over his finish after being played through on goal. (6/10)
Ousmane Dembele: Had a couple of sights of goal which went begging and drifted in and out of the match. (6/10)
Substitutes
Arturo Vidal: Came on for Arthur in the 71st minute and ended the game with more tackles than any other player on the pitch. Broke up attacks expertly during an impressive cameo. (7/10)
Philippe Coutinho: Left out of the starting lineup for such a big game and failed to seize his chance off the bench either. Had a couple of good opportunities to make a difference, but lacked the sharpness to do so. (5/10)
Nelson Semedo: Came on in the 92nd minute for Busquets as Barcelona wound the clock down. (6/10)
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