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Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez scored the most important goal of his short Barcelona career as Luis Enrique's side moved clear in the title race for La Liga .
Barca formed a four-point lead ahead of rivals Real Madrid with a 2-1 victory at the Nou Camp as Suarez sealed the points in the second period after Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Jeremy Mathieu's header in the first half.
Mathieu brought the Nou Camp to life when he handed the hosts a deserved advantage inside 20 minutes. The French defender lost marker Sergio Ramos and converted Lionel Messi's cross from close range.
But Real hit back on the counter as a fine move presented Ronaldo space inside the box and the 30-year-old poked the ball beyond Claudio Bravo to take his La Liga tally for the season to 30.
Gareth Bale had the ball in the net before the break, but the linesman's flag denied the Welshman as Real failed to make their pressure count.
Instead, Luis Suarez latched on to a high ball from Dani Alves 10 minutes after the interval before controlling majestically and sweeping the ball past Iker Casillas to move Barca three points clear with 10 league fixtures left to play.
Scroll through our gallery to see who stood out at the Nou Camp:
Show all 24 1 /24Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings BARCELONA: Claudio Bravo Pulled off a couple of fine saves to keep Barcelona level in the first half, and another from a deflected Benzema shot late on. Solid in general. 7/10
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Dani Alves Defended brilliantly against Ronaldo for the most part and provided Luis Suarez with a beautiful long pass for the second goal – he’ll be tough to replace if he leaves. 7
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Gerard Pique Produced an absolutely perfect tackle in the first-half to deny Bale and never looked under pressure or in any danger. 8
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Jeremy Mathieu Not many would have had the Frenchman down as the first goal scorer but he took his goal excellently. Defended stoutly and good in possession. 8
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Jordi Alba A Duracell bunny down the left hand side, he runs up and down the flank like a man possessed. Brilliant in defence and attack he has a claim to be the best left-back in the world. 8
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Javier Mascherano A very clever performance by a very clever player, the enforcer did exactly what was needed of him – foul Real Madrid players when they looked dangerous and give the ball to better players when in possession. 8
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Andres Iniesta When Real Madrid were on top Iniesta was bypassed by the men in white as Isco, Kroos and Modric exerted control. But as soon as Barcelona took over, he was at the fulcrum, never letting Los Blancos back in. 7
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Ivan Rakitic For large spells of the game Rakitic was outplayed by his opposite number Luka Modric, but he was always a willing worker. 6
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Luis Suarez Brilliant performance from a man in great form. Never gave Ramos and Pepe a second’s rest and took his goal expertly, with an expert first touch and serene finish. 8
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Neymar A complete mixed bag from the Brazilian who was excellent in every part of the game except his finishing. Should have had at least two goals but was wild when presented with some very good chances. 6
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Lionel Messi There were parts of the game where Messi appeared a passenger. But as soon as Barca took the lead he sensed blood and took control as creator-in-chief and but for some wayward finishing from team-mates would’ve had more than just one assist. 8
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings From the bench: Sergio Busquets Came on for Rakitic to give the home side an extra layer of protection – Real Madrid didn’t create a chance after he entered the game. 7
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings REAL MADRID: Iker Casillas Stories of his decline are overblown, he is still an excellent shot-stopper and denied both Alba and Messi in great fashion. Real’s best player in the second-half. 7
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Dani Carvajal Run ragged by Neymar, the Spanish defender has a long way to go to be considered among the elite. 5
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Sergio Ramos Defended poorly for the Mathieu goal (it was his man) and he and Pepe lost Suarez for the second goal. Considered a world class defender but while he looks smart on the ball and has the athletic tools he makes a lot of high profile errors. 5
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Pepe Couldn’t cope with Suarez before being taken off for Raphael Varane, even though he didn’t appear to be suffering an injury. 5
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Marcelo Like Alba on the opposite side he is a constant menace down the wing and was easily more of an attacking threat than Gareth Bale. A solid performance on the front and back foot. 7
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Luka Modric Controlled the game for a long period but lost control for good after Barcelona went in front. Ran out of legs in the final stages. 6
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Toni Kroos Largely the same story as with Modric, although not quite as influential given he has to sit a little bit deeper. Always good on the ball but couldn’t do enough after his team fell behind. 6
Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Isco When Real were on top he was arguably the best player on the pitch but was completely taken out of the game in the final half hour, barely getting on the ball. 6
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo Had a 20-minute spell either side of half-time when he was the dominant player on the pitch but struggled outside of that time frame. Took his goal well but should also have scored in the opening stages when he hit the bar with a volley. Couldn’t get in the game when his team needed him at the end. 5
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Gareth Bale Offered very little. At all. No wonder the Real fans aren’t happy with their world record signing. He seems scared to make a mistake (lest he incur the wrath of Ronaldo) so doesn’t attempt to take people on when he has a chance. He had one sight at goal and dragged it badly wide. Utterly anonymous in the final half an hour. 3
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings Karim Benzema The least heralded player of the BBC was easily the best of the three. Always the hardest working he set up Ronaldo well with a cross that he should have scored before providing a beautiful flicked assist for the goal. Also went close late on with a long-range effort. 7
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Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1 player ratings From the bench: Raphael Varane A strange substitution that had little bearing on the result. Pepe must have been injured. 5
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