Barcelona took a huge step towards regaining the La Liga title as goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal beat bitter rivals Real Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to open up a 14-point lead over the European champions.
In a recurring theme of this season Madrid were made to pay for Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema missing first-half chances as Barca took control after half-time.
Suarez rounded off a flowing counter-attack to open the scoring before Messi blasted home a penalty after Madrid defender Dani Carvajal was sent-off for punching the ball off the goal line.
And Messi was the creator as Vidal rubbed salt into Real’s wounds deep into stoppage time.
Here we look at the player ratings for Barcelona.
Ter Stegen 8. Another outstanding performance for his 11th clean sheet of the campaign. Made a decent stop with his foot to deny Ronaldo in the first half but really shone towards the end, making two key stops from Bale and another from Ramos to prevent a late scare.
Roberto 7. Digilent in defence, although he was tested by Marcelo in the first half, and broke forward superbly to set up Suarez’s opener with an unselfish pass. Moved to midfield for the final stages when Iniesta was replaced.
Pique 9. Excellent in the centre of defence, barely putting a foot wrong. Made a key block at the near post on Benzema in the first half and dealt with anything thrown at him with composure and conviction. Was often left as a ‘spare man’ by Madrid as they focussed on Busquets, but he used the ball well.
Vermaelen 6. Picked up an early booking for a foul on Modric and looked generally vulnerable in the first half. Better after the break and always strong in the air.
Alba 7. Couldn’t get as forward as much as usual due to the attacking threat of Carvajal, but his first dangerous run resulted in a chance for Suarez just before the opener, and he was solid defensively.
Paulinho 8. Played on the right of midfield but was always looking to burst into the box and had Barca’s only two chances in the first half, drawing saves from Navas with a fierce strike and a header. Continued to trouble Madrid’s defence with his powerful movement and is starting to symbolise the team’s new style.
Busquets 8. A poor start, losing possession regularly and looking generally out of sorts as he was man marked by Kroos. Completely different in the second half, which saw him totally control the midfield. Played the key pass to release Rakitic in the build-up to the first goal.
Rakitic 7. Almost invisible in the first half but really grew into the game after the break and led the counter-attack which led to Suarez’s opening goal. Contributed fully to his team’s dominance after that.
Iniesta 7. Some classy touches but a largely peripheral figure before being replaced by Nelson Semedo for the final 15 minutes. However, he worked hard defensively during the first half including one key clearance to deny Carvajal a huge chance.
Messi 9. Generally quiet in the first half but still created two chances for Paulinho, the first with a delicious pass. On a different planet after the break, looking capable of creating chances every time he touched the ball. His passing was sublime – including a one-booted assist for the third goal – and his penalty was fearlessly smashed into the top corner.
Suarez 7. Worked tirelessly to unsettle the home team defence. His first sight of goal early in the second half forced Navas into a low save, and he scored a minute later with an emphatic finish to back up the suggestion he is returning to his best following a poor start to the season. Should have scored again just before the penalty.
Semedo 6: Came on supposedly shore things up but nearly gave away a goal with a terrible first touch. Improved after that and came close to a goal with an angled shot after a speedy surge.
Gomes 6: A late replacement for Paulinho. Found plenty of space on the left but wasted a late chance for a third goal by blazing over the bar.
Vidal: Introduced for the closing seconds and had enough time to score the final goal with one of only three touches.
