It was billed as the El Clasico with an English twist, and was the first time both Barcelona and Real Madrid fielded an English player - but between Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham, who outshone the other?
The fixture itself delivered fireworks from minute one when Vinicius Junior won his side a penalty after Lamine Yamal’s sliding challenge did not get a touch on the ball. The decision was overturned by VAR, though, who suggested the Brazilian had kicked Yamal’s foot instead.
After seeing an early goal then ruled out for offside, Kylian Mbappe netted his 16th of the campaign to put the hosts ahead in typical, clinical fashion.
Hansi Flick’s side equalised through Fermin Lopez, but were only on level terms for a matter of moments before Bellingham grabbed his first goal of the La Liga season to put Los Blancos back ahead before half-time.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
After the break, Madrid were given a controversial spot kick, again after the intervention of VAR, when Eric Garcia was harshly judged to have handled the ball in the area.
Mbappe squandered the opportunity to double his side’s lead, though, after a wonderful Wojciech Szczesny save, marking the first penalty miss in this fixture since Samuel Eto’o in 2008.
Kylian Mbappe scored his 16th goal of the season as he helped Real Madrid topple rivals Barcelona
|REUTERS
With the game finished at 2-1, it was Madrid’s turn to celebrate after they ended their streak of four consecutive defeats against their bitter rivals.
For Barcelona, it was a frustrating afternoon in which they struggled to gain any significant momentum going forward.
Rashford did play an instrumental role in their equaliser, rolling the ball back to Lopez, who slammed the ball past Thibaut Courtois, which marks his seventh assist in a Barcelona shirt already.
Marcus Rashford set Fermin Lopez up for Barcelona's equaliser but struggled to impact the game after
|GETTY
It was Lopez, though, who was the biggest threat going forward for the Catalan side, although often his final pass was short or indecisiveness was costly.
Prior to the match, Rashford declared his love for the club, saying: "I'm enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player, it's an honour."
Jude Bellingham played an integral role in both Real Madrid goals
|REUTERS
And his performances in Spain have been superb so far, particularly in the Champions League. While today wasn’t exactly a vintage display, the winger managed to create the chance that got his side back into the game.
Unfortunately, he struggled to impact the game significantly following his assist, but he certainly made his mark.
As for Madrid; it was the Bellingham show once again. The 22-year-old set up Mbappe’s first goal with a pearler of a pass, splitting the Barcelona defence in two and giving the Frenchman his clearest sight on goal.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Later, the former Borussia Dortmund star arrived late and found himself at the right place at the right time to tap home his first La Liga goal of the season and restore his side's lead.
And then, to put the icing on the cake, Bellingham won the controversial penalty and gave Mbappe another golden opportunity to continue his remarkable run of form - one that he passed up.
Jude Bellingham grabbed his first La Liga goal of the season
|REUTERS
It was the authoritative, commanding and dominant display that Madridistas have become so accustomed to from the midfielder, one they have sorely missed over the last three months.
"Knowing that you can beat your biggest rival for the title makes you believe that you can have a good season," Bellingham told Real Madrid TV before the game.
"I feel very good and happy - finally back on the pitch. I'm strong and positive, probably in the best physical condition I've been in a long time."
The England international provided the winning contributions that his team required. Today was Bellingham’s day - not even Marcus Rashford could stop that from happening.