Los Blancos had actually won eight in a row at home dating back to April last season, and with the Catalan giants decimated by injuries to key players, a win was likely to be a tall order for Hansi Flick's side.
The German wasn't even on the touchline of course, having been sent off in the previous game.
Two points separating top two teams ahead of kick-off
Despite their evident problems with injured players, Barca came into the match just two points behind Xabi Alonso's table-topping squad, and with the reward of top spot themselves if they were able to continue their Clasico form from 2024/25 when they won every game between the two Spanish behemoths.
Kylian Mbappe's 10 goals were the most scored in the league, and included four that opened the scoring in games this season.
Barca were missing their main man up front, Robert Lewandowski, but in his absence, Marcus Rashford had come to the fore for his new club.
With the Santiago Bernabeu roof closed despite this match being a mid-afternoon kick-off, the atmosphere was something to behold and, as might be expected, the action began at 100 miles an hour with both sides taking a while to settle.
Lamine Yamal's pre-match words were always going to rile the Los Blancos faithful, and a cacophony of boos and whistles greeted his every touch in the opening exchanges.
Early penalty appeals waved away before Mbappe cracker
The youngster looked to have given away a penalty within two minutes when Vinicius Junior was felled, with only a VAR review saving Barcelona's blushes.
With 78.6% possession in the opening 10 minutes, the visitors dictated play, though they were clearly vulnerable to Real's lightning-fast counter-attacks.
Out of nothing, as Barca gave the ball away outside their box, Mbappe looked to have slammed home a magnificent effort; however, a short delay led to the official ruling the goal out for offside. Once again, the warning signs were there.
As the game began to get stretched, there was a noticeable difference between how involved the players of each team were. Barca's 142 passes compared to just 45 for Real, and yet Los Blancos appeared the more likely to open the scoring.
They did so when some superb play by Jude Bellingham fed Mbappe, and this time his effort was perfectly legitimate.
Fermin silences the Bernabeu
The goal appeared to galvanise the hosts who enjoyed a sustained period of possession, Federico Valverde leading by example and involving himself in six one-on-one duels to combat any threat from Barca.
Dean Huijsen almost scored a second on the half hour, as did Vinicius shortly after, Wojciech Szczesny pulling off two notable saves in succession.
The momentum was certainly with the home side, though Ferran Torres extended Thibaut Courtois with Barcelona's first shot on target.
As half-time approached the lack of influence from Lamine Yamal was marked, and winning possession on three separate occasions was the sum total of his contribution.
Luckily for him and his colleagues, Arda Guler's mistake when his side were clearly in the ascendancy saw the ball funnelled to Rashford to add another assist - his fifth in the league - as he played in Fermin Lopez to slam home the equaliser.
Bellingham left all alone
Just five minutes later, Bellingham was left completely unmarked in the six-yard box to restore Madrid's lead with a tap-in - Madrid's seventh goal in the 15 minutes leading into the break - no team has more.
The fifth Barca goal had conceded in that same time frame was also a league high, and it might've got even worse had another offside flag not denied Mbappe.
A back five from Real in first-half stoppage time suggested that the hosts weren't entirely comfortable with proceedings despite looking dangerous in every attack, and with a number of Barcelona stars posting passing stats well above 90%, Real's worries were understandable.
Fast start from both sides
Within two minutes of the restart, both sides had had a shot on target, with Rashford again supplying Fermin and Vinicius going on his own and extending Szczesny once more.
The Polish custodian then wrote his name large over the fixture with an incredible penalty save from Mbappe, after VAR had adjudged that Eric Garcia had handled in the box.
Barcelona again dominated the ball, but three shots and another offside attempt from Real were enough of a hint that if anyone was going to score again in the match, it would be them.
Frenkie de Jong's influence more centrally kept a number of home players occupied, with the Dutchman's 72 passes with 20 to play almost 50 more than any Real player. Not to mention a 95.8% pass completion - the best on show.
Real told to sit back
As the match entered the latter stages, Xabi Alonso could be seen telling his players not to get up the pitch, and rather to sit back and defend their slender lead.
With only 13 of their 21 tackles collectively won, it was an interesting tactic from the Spaniard in the final 15 minutes, and one that certainly invited Barca onto them.
That shouldn't have meant substitute and captain Ronald Araujo shooting from 40 yards with his first attempt in the match. It was a complete waste of possession when he had colleagues that were well-placed, and rightly earned him a word or two from those around him.
Jules Kounde's 89th-minute chance should've seen Barcelona equalise again, the defender breaking the offside trap but deciding to chest the ball and miscontrol it with no Madrid player within yards of him, rather than powering a header home.
Pedri's red the final insult for Barcelona
Despite a fine personal performance - 101 touches, 23 total one-on-ones and seven tackles made (the last two stats being game highs for Barca) - Pedri's lunge in the 99th minute of the game saw him red-carded, meaning he'll miss Barca's next game.
It was the final insult for the Catalans, who'll be disappointed not to have eked out a draw in the end.
With Lamine Yamal losing possession on 21 separate occasions - the most of anyone from either side - and Szczesny having to pull off a whopping nine saves, one can't really make a case for Barca deserving a point, even if they bossed possession (68.5% to 31.5%) and made many more accurate passes than their opponents (573 to 222).
When it mattered, Real's players got the job done, and the win takes them five points clear of their eternal rivals.
Catch up on the match with Flashscore.
