FC Barcelona extended their lead over Real Madrid to 12 points after rallying from behind to clinch a 2-1 win in El Clasico on Sunday night.
Madrid kept the same eleven that did duty in the 1-0 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, whereas Barca had Ronald Araujo back from suspension and started him in defence.
It was a lively opening with chances at either end although Barca went closest as a smart header from a tight angle by Raphinha drew a strong one-hand save from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois five minutes in.
Los Blancos, though, made the breakthrough against the run of play after four minutes when Araujo directed a cross from Vinicius Junior into his own net and handed the visitors the lead.
The table-toppers recovered and came close to drawing level midway in where Andreas Christensen snapped a header from a perfectly weighted ball in the area wide of the mark.
Barcelona applied more pressure and reaped the rewards on the stroke of halftime when Sergi Roberto picked up a loose ball from a scramble in the area and slotted into the near corner.
The intensity from both teams did not drop as the second half got underway, with chances going either way and the tempo in possession as well remained high.
Los Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti made two changes in the 62nd minute when Rodrygo came on for Toni Kroos before Ferland Mendy shifted in to fill in for Nacho Hernandez.
Barcelona lived dangerously on their defensive area and allowed Rodrygo, who had just come on, to seal possession and get a shot in, but the Brazilian hoofed his effort over the crossbar.
As the match remained balanced, Madrid were ahead with eight minutes to play when Marco Asensio side-footed in a low cross in the box but it was ruled out for offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Barca showed courage in the dying minutes and grabbed the winner after Franck Kessie popped up in the area and tapped in a cross to hand the host the bragging rights in El Clasico.
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