Summer signing Luis Suárez settled El Clásico as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-1 at the Camp Nou, leaving the Blaugrana four points clear at the top of La Liga.

The number nine's winner came within ten minutes of the second period, cancelling out Cristiano Ronaldo's equaliser which had followed a Jeremy Mathieu opener.

Barcelona took less than two minutes to cause danger when Andres Iniesta drove forward from the left of midfield. After playing a short pass to Lionel Messi, the Spain international delicately trapped a chipped return ball in the Madrid area, before his low cross was turned away for a corner. Familiar chants of "Iniesta" rang out from the Camp Nou in appreciation of their hero.

Madrid would soon have their own say in affairs however. Isco, Marcelo, and Karim Benzema began to string sharp passes together in the final third. Ivan Rakitic - the man tasked with covering Barça's traditionally weak right side behind Dani Alves - quickly discovered he was in for a tough night.

Lionel Messi's first moment of magic came in the fifth minute when he managed to add another scalp to his collection of nutmegs, humiliating Toni Kroos on the right wing. The four time Ballon d'Or winner would soon go on to play a part in the opening goal, and was the brightest player in the second half in particular, dribbling past Marcelo, Isco and Luka Modric with aplomb.

The opener came when Suárez was brought down on the left outside the Real Madrid area. After Neymar briefly attempted to stake a claim for the delivery, Barça's number 10 pulled rank, and his whipped ball was headed home by the unlikeliest of players: central defender Mathieu.

The Frenchman and defensive partner Gerard Pique were Barcelona's two most noteworthy players in the first 45 minutes - a scenario coach Luis Enrique mustn't have been happy with. Minutes after his goal Mathieu was busy in his own area, diving desperately to block a stinging shot from Marcelo. When Gareth Bale beat Jordi Alba for pace and power in the 38th minute meanwhile, it was Pique who bailed his team out, coming across quickly to make a brilliant last-ditch challenge.

The performances from Barça's two central defenders were an improvement on fragile showings at the back of recent years, but their alertness standing out so clearly was indicative of a lack of control from the home team. Unforced errors from Neymar, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves all created problems for the Catalans in the first half, and Madrid often came dangerously close to taking advantage

So it was that, just as Neymar had taken a tame shot into Iker Casillas' palms at one end, the ball was soon in the net at the other. Ronaldo, whose early contribution had been little more than receiving relentless boos from the Camp Nou, reminded the home supporters why they fear him so much. In the 31st minute Luka Modric passed forward to Benzema, and in one touch the Frenchman produced a Guti-esque heel flick into the path of Madrid's number seven. The current Ballon d'Or holder, stretching, poked the ball past Claudio Bravo with the kind of power most produce from a standing shot.

The score stayed level until the half-time whistle, but the game was settled early in the second half. The move was a perfect summary of how Barcelona have changed under Enrique: Alves played a raking long ball out from the back, and Suárez, peeling away from Pepe, produced a first touch worth its weight in gold - perhaps even £65m. It was just enough for the Uruguayan to open up a minuscule space in the Madrid area, and his equally perfect shot across goal left Iker Casillas with no hope.

The striker, who had dreamed of a move to the Camp Nou since he was a teenager, wheeled away in elation. The home crowd were equally thrilled, 96,000 joyous voices replying in approval.