Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 4 – Mbappe's Clásico forgettable flick's side stun European champions

Barcelona took a six-point lead in La Liga after crushing Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Hans Flick's side were rampant at home to their fierce rivals, frustrating Kylian Mbappe with their well-organized offside trap in the first half and then striking four times after the break.

Robert Lewandowski scored in the 54th and 56th minutes, his 13th and 14th in La Liga this season, to put Barcelona in control. Lamin Yamal then scored his first Clásico goal in the 77th minute, and the in-form Rafinha scored the fourth with six minutes remaining.

The result moves Barcelona to 30 points at the top of the table, six ahead of Madrid. Here, our writers analyze the key talking points.

The way Barcelona caught Mbappe offside time and time again

As many expected, Barcelona's offside trap was a key talking point in the first half.

Barca caught Bayern Munich offside just twice in the first half in midweek, but they quadrupled that tally in the opening 45 minutes at the Bernabeu, with Kylian Mbappe contributing six of them.

The first prominent offside came in just two minutes. As seen below, with Pau Cubersi closing down Eduardo Kamavinga and Jules Kaunde worrying about Vinicius Junior behind him, Mbappe found himself in acres of space but just a fraction ahead.

The same pair combined again in the 14th minute, this time further up the pitch. Mbappe found space between Barca's centre-backs, but again mistimed his run.

Five minutes later it happened again. This time, Mbappe popped up on the other flank, pushing Alejandro Balde up the pitch as he often does in Hansi Flick's set-up, but the Frenchman was offside from some distance away.

The final instance in the opening 30 minutes of the match was the most marginal of them all, as Mbappe again ran through the gap between Inigo Martínez and Cuberci, but mistimed his run.

La Liga's semi-automated system showed how close the offside was.

Mbappe's blueprint was his strike partner. When Vinicius Jr got in behind, he did so using his speed with a shrewd awareness of where Barca's high-line was. Real Madrid's midfielders and centre-backs often played him over the top, but Barcelona also played through the press.

Down the stretch, Ferland Mendy finds Camavinga in space and he turns away from Mark Casado before passing to Vinicius Jr. He passes to Aurelien Choumeni, completes a triangle that Barca purists would be proud of, and runs in behind the goal, knowing he's on the end of the pass. He does just that and cuts inside but drags his shot wide.

(Photo: La Liga TV)

Ananthajith Raghuraman

Lewandowski continues his sensational scoring form

For most of the first half, Lewandowski wasn't as involved near the Madrid goal as the action was at the other end.

But when the first chance came, after Casado's precise ball broke Madrid's off-side trap, Lewandowski seized the opportunity, firing from the edge of the box before Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin or his defenders could do anything.

Lewandowski's second goal was even better — the cross from Balde was excellent and the marking from the Madrid centre-back was poor. But the header was still expert, the Pole twisting his body and arching his neck muscles to power the ball into the corner, out of Lunin's reach.

It really should have been better for Lewandowski. With Madrid's defense broken down again, he had an easy chance to get a third, but somehow hit the post from close range. Another chance soon followed from Lamine Yamal's precise cross, but this time Antonio Rudiger was close and Lewandowski fired over.

Finishing with just two made it 17 goals in 14 matches across La Liga and the Champions League for the veteran. Those goals mean Lewandowski is already odds-on to win La Liga's top scorer award this year. And more importantly, his key role tonight means Barca are now big favorites to win this season's La Liga title.

Dermot Corrigan

Did Real Madrid's defending contribute to Barca's opening two goals?

After Barca's defensive offside trap worked so well in the first half, it completely collapsed the first time Madrid were tested.

The home side's back four was uncoordinated at all, with left-back Ferland Mendy the main culprit. The Frenchman was a yard deeper than his teammates, which was enough for Lewandowski to receive the ball in a legal position for the first goal and send a low shot past goalkeeper Lunin.

Only moments later the defense was even worse. After Rafinha dragged Lucas Vasquez out of position in the right-back position, Jude Bellingham tried to track down Alejandro Balde on the overlap but couldn't stop the cross. Then, centre-back Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger released Lewandowski just 10 yards from goal and with the Barca centre-forward in such lethal form, that laxity was always likely to be punished.

A game where Madrid seemed to have completely turned the upper hand. And all four of Madrid's defenders were responsible for what happened.

Dermot Corrigan

Why did Flick bring in De Jong — and did it work?

This Barcelona team is praised for their direct play. But that changed in this Clasico.

After a first half display where Barca were not at their best, Flick opted to make a surprise change and bring on Frenkie de Jong. Fermín López was replaced, meaning Pedri took on a more advanced role, with De Jong and Casado playing as holding midfielders.

De Jong had a rough start to the season. That problem persisted after he missed the European Championships with an ankle injury and did not return until this month. But that may change from now on.

His familiarity with the game produced Barcelona's best spell in the game – and it was because of slowing them down. With Pedri advancing further, Barca had more time on the ball and Madrid's counter-attacks were severely curtailed. De Jong positioned himself between the centre-backs to help his side's build-up play and Casado maintained his work speed and neatness in midfield.

Barca overloaded the midfield and that gave them the edge. Casado's through-the-needle pass for the first goal took the Madrid defense by surprise.

This also applied to the second goal, when Barcelona kept possession in midfield when the time was right to open up a pass to Balde from the left wing. Two superb finishes from Lewandowski did the rest, but it all started with Flick's half-time tweak.

Paul Balls

Frustration for Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. – Madrid have problems in attack

The first 45 minutes of Mbappe's first Clasico since joining Madrid saw the Frenchman caught inches offside – leading to the Frenchman's disallowed effort on the half-hour mark.

There was also frustration when Vinicius Jr. dribbled clear, opted to shoot himself and shot wide, leaving Mbappe screaming in agony, unmarked in a central position near goal.

Just after half-time, Mbappe received a pass in the Barca area, but Cubersi crossed to knock the ball away from him. Then, at the other end, Lewandowski was presented with two clear chances to score and expertly converted both to keep Barca in control.

Mbappe eventually got his first shot on target, but it fumbled under pressure and was easy for goalkeeper Inaki Pena to save. The best chance was yet to come—now Mbappe was onside and clear, but his low shot was too close to the Barcelona goalkeeper's feet.

Frustration was compounded when Mbappe dropped back again, and this time fired a shot past Pena, only to be held up by the offside flag once again.

At the other end of Madrid's attack, Vinicius Jr. finished the game with zero shots on target. Comparable skill at the other end, with Yamal and Rafinha converting excellently, the chances were not straightforward at all.

Madrid are now six points behind Barca in the La Liga table and have conceded 16 fewer goals in 11 matches so far (Barcelona's 37 goals to Madrid's 21). Not good numbers for Mbappe, Vinicius Jr or Madrid.

Dermot Corrigan

What did Carlo Ancelotti say?

We will bring it to you after he speaks in the post-match press conference.

What did Hansie Flick say?

We will bring it to you after he speaks in the post-match press conference.

What's next for Real Madrid?

Saturday, November 2: Valencia (A), La Liga, 8pm UK, 4pm ET

What's next for Barcelona?

Sunday, November 3: Spanish (H), La Liga, 3.15pm UK, 10.15am ET

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(Top photo: Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)