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FC Barcelona saw clear daylight at the summit of La Liga with a resounding 3-0 win over bitter rivals Real Madrid in the final Clasico of 2017. The Catalan club are now nine points clear at the top of the table and a staggering 14 points ahead of Real Madrid (who have a game in hand)
Though Real Madrid dominated the proceedings in the first half, Barcelona turned up the heat in the second half to score three goals and see out a total professional performance. This win made it three wins in three seasons for Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu - a first for the Catalan side.
Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Aleix Vidal got on the score sheet while Dani Carvajal was sent off for a deliberate handball in the box.
We take a look at how each player fared in a rather one-sided Clasico at the Bernabeu.
Also read: Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona - 5 Talking Points from El Clasico
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas: 7/10
Navas could have done better for the third goal but was not at fault for the other two. His save off Paulinho in the first half was a heroic effort and, without him, Real Madrid would have received a real thrashing.
Daniel Carvajal: 3/10
Cynical. The decision to stop the ball with his hand was a stupid decision by the full-back. Real suffered a lot after going a man down and better thought-processing was expected from a defender like Carvajal.
Sergio Ramos: 4/10
The captain failed to inspire his troops and, as always, Ramos was lucky to stay on the pitch at the final whistle. He committed two fouls on Paulinho in the first 45 minutes and only received a booking for a swing of his arm against Luis Suarez.
Raphael Varane: 5/10
The Frenchman looked Real Madrid's best of the worst defenders on the night with his pace bailing Madrid out many times. But Varane was caught in no man's land for the first goal.
Marcelo: 5/10
Marcelo started the first half brilliantly, pressing incessantly and getting forward with aplomb. But the left-back faded with time and it was his lack of positional awareness which let Roberto wreak havoc for the first goal while he failed to stop Messi for the third.
Casemiro: 5/10
Just as the entire Madrid side, Casemiro looked solid in the first half. He marked Messi out of the game during large durations of the first half but the second half saw a stark contrast in his performance. He was substituted soon after Real Madrid received a red card.
Luka Modric: 5/10
The ever-gracious midfielder looked at his best in the opening half hour of the game, getting in between the half spaces and dominating the centre of the park. But he looked a pale shadow of himself in the second half as he could not assert himself against the Barcelona midfield.
Matteo Kovacic: 4/10
The young Croatian was given a kind of a free role in the attack and to man-mark Messi without the ball. He started well but soon Messi started getting the better of Kovacic. After going two goals down, he was soon taken off the firing line.
Toni Kroos: 4/10
Real Madrid had many shocking performers in the second half, none bigger than Toni Kroos. The German had a shocker for the champions and was practically invisible in the second half.
Karim Benzema: 5/10
Benzema would have wished for better service for the majority of the game but he had a dream chance to give Madrid the lead in the first half. He took his header from a Marcelo cross well but it crashed against the post. Otherwise, Benzema cut a lonely figure for the hosts.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 6/10
Ronaldo looked sharp in the first quarter of the game and was the only Madrid player who seemed to make a difference. He attempted five shots on Barcelona's goal but snatched at a few where a pass could have been a more sensible option.
Substitutes
Nacho Fernandez: 5/10
Zinedine Zidane had brought Nacho on to fill the gap created by Carvajal's red. The versatile defender was not at fault for any individual error but could not help his side conceding another goal after his arrival.
Marco Asensio: 4/10
A disappointing display from the youngster. He was barely seen having any meaningful contribution to his cameo.
Gareth Bale: 7/10
Bale played as if to prove a point to his detractors and was the sole Madrid plus point from a drab second half. He drew two saves from Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in the second half - the only two he had to make in the final stages of the match.
FC Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 8/10
The German made a couple of fine saves, denying Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos on either side of the break. He was calm with his distribution and looked confident on what was a big occasion.
Sergi Roberto: 8/10
Roberto showed his midfielder's instincts by providing a perfect pass to Luis Suarez for the opening goal. He did not look to put a foot wrong against Madrid and handled Ronaldo's threat with commendable ease.
Gerrard Pique: 9/10
Pique produced a performance worthy of the occasion and showed just as to why he is considered as one of the best in the business. His last-ditch block against Karim Benzema kept the score tied at 0-0 and gave a perfect platform for the visitors to build upon.
Thomas Vermaelen: 7/10
Considering this was Vermaelen's first Clasico, the Belgian looked confident and, barring a clumsy tackle on Luka Modric, never looked overwhelmed by the situation. There finally may be some hope of a second chance for Vermaelen in Barcelona colours.
Jordi Alba: 7/10
Alba could not influence the game much going forward in the first half but improved as the game went on. He was brilliant defensively and proved to be an excellent option in the second half.
Sergio Busquets: 8/10
Graceful and dominating. These two words perfectly describe Busquets' sensational display at the Bernabeu. His silky turn opened up the Madrid midfield for the first goal which completely changed the complexion of the game.
Andres Iniesta: 6/10
He was classy at times but looked like a fading version of his previous self. Iniesta was anonymous for the first half but looked confident in parts in the second.
Ivan Rakitic: 7/10
Rakitic ran with the ball for the first goal and waited for the right moment to pass it on to Roberto. He was delightful in tight spaces and often worked his magic against Madrid's hard-working midfield.
Paulinho: 7/10
The midfielder could have scored a goal in his first Clasico. He tested Navas twice in the first half and proved more than a handful for Madrid's backline. Paulinho's success story continues.
Lionel Messi: 8/10
Messi was marked out of the game in the first half but showed just why he is the best in the world in the second 45 minutes. He scored the second from a spot kick and made the third for Vidal after embarrassing Marcelo in a one-on-one situation.
Messi scored his 25th goal in this fixture - a record bettered by no one.
Luis Suarez: 6/10
The Uruguayan took his goal well and had a couple of decent chances to inflict more damage on the hosts. But other than his chances, Suarez did not look influencing and was ineffective for major parts of the match.
Substitutes
Nelson Semedo: 6/10
The full-back missed a one-on-one chance against Navas late in the game.
Andre Gomes: 5/10
The midfielder had a chance to get on the score sheet but skied his shot from close range.
Aleix Vidal: 8/10
Vidal arrived on the field in stoppage time and scored from the edge of the box to complete a famous away win over his side's eternal rivals.
