Carlo Ancelotti, who had lost 12 of his 25 games against Barcelona in all competitions, was aware of the challenge his team faced. Meanwhile, Barcelona had not lost any of their last 15 LaLiga games, and Kylian Mbappe was one goal shy of the best scoring record for a player in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, held by Ivan Zamorano.

The game began with Mbappe making his mark within the first 14 minutes, scoring a brace that silenced the home crowd, but Barcelona quickly regained their footing and dominated the rest of the first half, with 27 touches in the Real Madrid box compared to just six at the opposite end.

Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, and a brace from Raphinha gave Barcelona a 4-2 lead at halftime, with Pedri's tireless work rate allowing his teammates to tear Real Madrid apart with 42 passes in the first half, 40 of which were accurate.

Although Barcelona was comfortable after the break, Mbappe's third goal made the end of the game uncertain, but in the end, Real Madrid was lucky to keep the score at four, with a legitimate penalty claim and a disallowed goal adding to their woes.

The match highlighted the difference in play between the two teams, with Barcelona's 23 shots, including nine on target, far exceeding Real Madrid's output, and the visitors struggling to cope with the three-pronged attack of Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres.

Pass completion statistics also favored Barcelona, with Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, and Dani Olmo boasting accuracy levels in the mid-90s, while Real Madrid's engine room needs to improve their collective output to control matches.

A notable aspect of the match was that only Ferran Torres from Barcelona's starting XI did not commit a foul, suggesting a possible tactical tweak to unsettle Real Madrid.

The result leaves Real Madrid with a tough task to regain the title, and a loss against Mallorca or a Barcelona win against Espanyol will hand the Blaugranes the title.