Los Blancos failed to beat their city rivals at home for the fifth season running in La Liga, leaving the Blaugrana a step closer to the title
There was no loser in Sunday's derby duel at the Santiago Bernabeu, but one clear winner as Real Madrid and Atletico played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw – Barcelona.
Ernesto Valverde's side had moved provisionally 12 points clear of second-placed Atletico by beating Leganes 3-1 at Camp Nou on Saturday and the squad will have been watching their two closest rivals with interest on Sunday.
A win for Real would have ended Atleti's slim hopes of claiming the title and that looked likely as Cristiano Ronaldo finally broke the deadlock with a fine finish after 53 minutes, slotting home an excellent Gareth Bale cross from the left.