By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Real Madrid beat Barcelona in a new-look El Clasico to go top of La Liga and leave Ronald Koeman’s side down in eighth in the table.
It was the first Clasico without Barca icon Lionel Messi or Real legend Sergio Ramos – who both joined Paris St-Germain in the summer – since 2004.
David Alaba started and finished a counter for Real’s first and Lucas Vazquez scored a second in injury time.
Sergio Aguero scored his first Barca goal but it was almost the last kick.
Alaba’s goal was the best of the game. The former Bayern Munich defender won the ball from Barca striker Memphis Depay on the edge of his box before starting a counter-attack.
He finished it off by running onto Rodrygo’s pass before slamming a shot across home keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen into the far corner.
It was his first goal for Real Madrid, who he joined in the summer, on his El Clasico debut.
The final two goals came in injury time with Vazquez tapping in after Marco Asensio’s shot was saved by Ter Stegen.
Substitute Aguero buried Sergino Dest’s cross, in what was only Barcelona’s second shot on target, but the final whistle went seconds later.
With the ball we were always good, we defended well; they didn’t have big chances until the goal at the end,” Thibaut Courtois said after the game.
“We did have chances where we didn’t have the final ball or the finish. Going ahead is good, then at the end we had to focus more. With two minutes left here with the crowd, anything can happen. But it’s a very good win and important to stay up in the table.
“We played a medium block, we didn’t want to drop too deep, maybe we did that a bit at the end. The boss wanted us to go long. When you’re winning here you have to defend the result, that’s important too, not to go crazy and go for the second or third. It’s important to be organised and that’s what we did today.”
Barca boss Ronald Koeman said he could not be under more pressure going into this game.
Well, he actually is now. They remain eighth, as close to 14th-placed Elche as new leaders Real.
Barcelona, in front of over 86,000 fans, put in a limp performance – with Real keeper Thibaut Courtois only making one save all afternoon.
It is a new-look Barca, with 17-year-old Gavi the youngest El Clasico starter since 1941 – but he had limited impact.
Koeman is only the second manager to lose his first three Clasicos as Barcelona boss – after Irishman Patrick O’Connell, who lost four between 1935 and 1940.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real did not even have to play especially well to win at the home of their fiercest rivals and it is hard to imagine this Real team winning a Clasico against any other Barca team of the past 15 years.
Madrid have won four consecutive Clasicos for the first time since they managed seven in a row in the 1960s.
Sunday marked Carlo Ancelotti’s first win at Camp Nou despite having played there with AC Milan,Paris Saint-Germain and Madrid and the loss is Koeman’s third El Clasico defeat in a row.