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Barcelona rolled back the years with a stellar performance to humiliate Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on Sunday (March 20).
A brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and goals from Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres secured the revitalized Catalans another memorable Clasico win.
Los Blancos, who came into the match on the back of a five-game winning run against their opponents, were completely outclassed on the night. Without the injured Karim Benzema, the side lacked ideas in the attacking areas, whereas Barcelona cut a swathe through their defense in clinical fashion.
Real Madrid, with a nine-point advantage, could still go on to win the league title but their problems were hopelessly exposed on the night. Barcelona, on the other hand, showed how much they've improved under Xavi Hernandez in a short span and could be in for a glorious finish to a troubled season.
Here are the player ratings from the clash:
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois - 5/10
The Belgian had no chance with any of Barcelona's goals but still made a few important saves to keep the match from getting any worse for his side.
Daniel Carvajal - 4/10
He seems to have fallen off his perch quite some time ago and this performance only raised more doubts about his ability to perform at the top. Carvajal struggled against an excellent Barcelona side who exposed his frailties far too easily before he was taken off at the break.
A new right-back beckons for Real Madrid.
Eder Militao - 5/10
The Brazilian had his moments in bits and parts, making a few crucial clearances and tackles, but alas, it was nowhere near enough.
David Alaba - 5/10
His best moments came at the opposite end and the Austrian was simply outclassed defensively.
Nacho - 4/10
Ousmane Dembele got the better of him for the opening goal before Torres also made a great run past him to set up Aubameyang for Barcelona's fourth. Nacho was very poor on the night and Real Madrid clearly missed Ferland Mendy's dynamism.
Casemiro - 4/10
Casemiro has often been the battering ram for Los Blancos, but last night, he was the one left battered by a rampant Barcelona.
Toni Kroos - 5/10
Barcelona players streamed past him like he wasn't there. Kroos did draw a foul off Aubameyang early on which controversially went unpunished. He was taken off at half-time with his side down by two goals.
Rodrygo - 5/10
He had two shots on the night, one of which was blasted wide while the other was a tame effort saved comfortably by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Rodrygo didn't do anything else of note besides those two moments, completing just eight passes in 63 minutes of action.
Vinicius Junior - 5.5/10
Vinicius was very active but lacked the cutting edge. He also wasted a glorious chance to score in the opening half by unsuccessfully diving to try and win a penalty instead of staying on his feet.
Luka Modric - 4/10
Modric has so often starred for Real Madrid this season despite his age, but last night, the Croatian had no answer for Barcelona. The match just seemed to bypass him and he won just two of his eight ground duels.
Federico Valverde - 6.5/10
The Uruguayan was the home side's best player. He laid out some excellent passes, created two chances and demonstrated his dribbling ability going forward. Valverde also made some excellent recoveries, a tackle and a clearance defensively.
Substitutes
Mariano Diaz - 4/10
Diaz had no impact whatsoever after replacing Carvajal at half-time.
Eduardo Camavinga - 4/10
He, too, was totally anonymous after coming on for Kroos ahead of the second half.
Lucas Vazquez - 5/10
Vazquez came on for Nacho in the 63rd minute. The Spaniard's passing range was on display but he offered no real attacking threat.
Marcos Asensio - 4/10
Asensio replaced Rodrygo in the 63rd minute and made no impact barring a shot that was off-target.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 7/10
Ter Stegen was at the top of his game like the rest of his team on the night. His distribution was excellent and he made four saves on the night in addition to getting his side forward with 11 accurate long balls from 14 attempts.
Ronald Araujo - 8/10
He was given a chance to start ahead of Dani Alves at right-back and repaid Xavi's faith with a resolute performance in defense. Araujo kept Vinicius in check throughout the match and also scored a good goal.
Gerard Pique - 7/10
The Barcelona veteran put in a decent performance, making four clearances and two blocks. Pique was surely among the happiest Culers on the night after a comprehensive victory.
Eric Garcia - 7/10
His return to Barcelona hasn't been smooth but Garcia stepped up to the plate at the Bernabeu to deliver a good performance. He read the game well, making four interceptions, and completed 98% of his passes.
Jordi Alba - 7/10
He didn't have much to do defensively but was a force going forward and tormented Carvajal, laying out three key passes.
Frenkie de Jong - 7.5/10
De Jong rarely got a pass wrong and took Real Madrid to the cleaners with his vision and link-up play. He managed a pass accuracy of 95% and laid out three key passes. The Dutchman also completed two dribbles and won four out of his four duels.
Sergio Busquets - 7/10
The Barcelona skipper helped provide a launchpad for his side's barrage of attacks with crucial recoveries and accurate long balls. Busquets completed 93% of his passes and five of his six long-ball attempts in addition to laying out a key pass.
Pedri - 8/10
The 19-year-old shone bright, always involved in the thick of things. Pedri recorded three successful dribbles, six successful duels and three important tackles.
Ousmane Dembele - 8/10
The Frenchman ran riot down the right flank and claimed two assists to put Real Madrid to the sword. On current form, Barcelona will certainly want him to stay beyond the summer.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 9.5/10
His terrific form since joining Barcelona continued as he scored two goals and laid out an assist, becoming the first player to contribute three goals on his Clasico debut. What a signing he's turning out to be!
Ferran Torres - 8.5/10
With a goal and an assist against Real Madrid, Torres is also making a case for being among the best signings of the season. He also worked hard defensively, making two tackles and winning four ground duels.
Substitutes
Memphis Depay - 6/10
The Dutchman was clearly eclipsed by the better players around him after he replaced Aubameyang in the 71st minute.
Gavi - 6.5/10
Gavi brought a lot of energy after coming on for de Jong in the 71st minute and impeded Real Madrid with his recoveries.
Adama Traore - 5/10
The game was done and dusted by the time he came on for Dembele with 10 minutes to go.
Nico - N/A
He went into the books for a poor challenge on Camavinga but didn't have much to do after replacing Pedri in the 86th minute.
Dani Alves - N/A
Alves was merely subbed on in the 86th minute to see out the game and give Alba some much-deserved rest.
