Kylian Mbappe struck twice to earn Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid a 2-1 El Clasico victory over La Liga leaders Barcelona at Camp Nou, cutting the gap to three points.
French superstar Mbappe opened the scoring before half-time on Sunday, then slotted home late on to inflict Barca’s first domestic defeat of the campaign after Raphinha had equalised for the champions.
Real Madrid remain third, behind Atletico Madrid and Hansi Flick’s Barca, who had won their first nine games before a chastening week.
The Catalans suffered a second straight defeat after losing against Paris Saint-Germain last week in the Champions League.
Barca won six of the seven previous Clasicos since the German arrived, but were surprisingly subdued against Mourinho’s side.
Los Blancos, without suspended winger Vinicius Junior, won their fifth straight game across all competitions, and are finding their footing under veteran Portuguese coach Mourinho.
After two trophyless seasons, Madrid turned back to Mourinho to try to stop Barca’s dominance, and this result will give them hope they are on the right track.