Real Madrid ended their four-game losing streak against Barcelona with a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the first El Clásico of the season at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, maintaining their two-point lead at the top of La Liga.

A crowd of 78,107 witnessed Kylian Mbappé open the scoring in the 22nd minute, finishing off an assist from Jude Bellingham.

The hosts' lead was short-lived as Fermín López equalised for Barcelona in the 38th minute, converting from Marcus Rashford's delivery.

However, Bellingham restored Real Madrid's advantage just before half-time, nodding home from an Éder Militão assist in the 43rd minute to send the home side into the break 2-1 ahead.

Xabi Alonso's side defended resolutely in the second half, despite Barcelona dominating possession with 68.6 per cent of the ball and completing 635 passes to Real Madrid's 271.

The visitors struggled to convert their territorial advantage into clear chances, managing just six shots on target compared to the hosts' ten.

Real Madrid thought they had extended their lead in the 69th minute when Bellingham tucked the ball past Wojciech Szczesny, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside in the build-up.

The match remained tense throughout, with Barcelona missing a golden opportunity in the 89th minute when Lamine Yamal's perfectly weighted pass found Jules Koundé one-on-one, but the defender's heavy first touch squandered the chance.

Mbappé nearly sealed the victory late on, bursting into the box in the 88th minute only to drag his shot narrowly wide of the far post.

There was drama when Vinícius Júnior was substituted in the 72nd minute, visibly unhappy as he shook his head and headed straight down the tunnel.

Both goalscorers received standing ovations when substituted in the dying moments, with Bellingham replaced by Gonzalo García in the 90th minute and Mbappé by Dani Ceballos a minute later.