Having recovered from a chastening 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico Madrid, Real came into this showpiece on the back of four successive wins in all competitions, and they appeared to carry that momentum into the opening stages here.
Inside two minutes, referee Cesar Soto Grado pointed to the spot when Lamine Yamal’s intervention upended Vinicius Junior, but following a VAR review, the decision was overturned.
Undeterred, Los Blancos were celebrating in the 12th minute when Kylian Mbappe magnificently buried a bouncing ball with a dipping strike from range, only for the tightest of offsides to deny the Frenchman.
Determined to make amends for a humbling four Clasicos defeats last term, Real continued to push hard for a breakthrough, which duly arrived after 22 minutes.
Tight control from Jude Bellingham allowed him to work the space to slip in Mbappe, who finished neatly when one-on-one for his 12th goal in nine games against Barcelona.
It was a familiar situation for Barca, who have now conceded the opening goal on five occasions in their last 10 league matches, but they responded positively, levelling the game through Fermin Lopez’s first-time finish after Arda Guler had given away possession deep in his own half.
However, parity lasted just five minutes as the hosts wrestled back control, with strong running from Vini Jr. ending with a looped cross to the back post, where Eder Militao cushioned the ball for Bellingham to tuck home.
With half-time fast approaching, there was still time for one more talking point, as an offside Mbappe turned over the line from a scrappy passage, capping off a breathless first half.
Thankfully for the neutral, the half-time whistle didn’t mark the end of the drama, as soon after the restart, Wojciech Szczesny guessed the right way to deny Mbappe from the spot after Eric Garcia was adjudged to have handled in the area.
Searching for another equaliser, Blaugrana’s high line were almost caught out, but yet another would-be goal was flagged offside as Bellingham tucked in an offside Brahim Diaz’s low ball.
That chance came during a period of relative calm, with Real content to bring down the tempo as the minutes ticked away. Ultimately, poor chest control from Jules Kounde saw Barcelona’s best chance to steal a point go begging, as Hansi Flick’s side were reduced to 10 men in the final seconds thanks to Pedri’s second yellow card.
The result leaves Los Blancos with only one loss this season, and as such, Xabi Alonso becomes just the second Real boss to avoid losing his first league fixture against Barcelona in the club’s last eight managerial appointments.
A ninth straight home league win marks Real’s best run in over a decade, and keeps Barca where they started the day.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
