Iker Casillas: 9- Perhaps he could've done better on Barcelona's lone goal, but for the better part of 85 minutes he was the San Iker we've known. He aggressively punched crosses, had an acrobatic swat at a quality Jérémy Mathieu strike, didn't concede on 9 whole corners from Barça, and denied Messi's chance to go up 2-0.
Dani Carvajal: 10- When the match was at risk to slip away in the first 20 minutes, Carvajal was everywhere and let nothing by him. It was a complete showcase of his skills as he chased down Neymar and Messi with pace, blocked crosses and even intimidated Barça's forwards with his dense thicket of a beard. Not much more could be asked of him in his full 90.
Pepe: 7- It was a tale of redemption for Pepe who was twisted around often in the first half, but after regaining his composure he became a wall at the back and headed in the winner. And for the first time in all his Clásicos, Pepe did not commit a foul. What a time to be alive.
Sergio Ramos: 8- A relatively quiet game from Ramos, but perhaps that's a good sign. Keeping out of the referee's book is certainly deserving of commendation for Ramos, who was a stalwart at the back -- with new and improved composure!
Marcelo: 9- Marcelo typically has me more nervous than when I hit on 18 at the blackjack table, but he was magnificent against Barcelona in both attack and defense. Jordi Alba will have nightmares of Marcelo changing directions and picking his pocket on defense, and like Carvajal, it was a complete performance by the Real Madrid fullback.
Toni Kroos: 7- In his first Clásico, Kroos made up for an early mistake by delivering a perfect kross cross to Pepe for his winner. This was the most Kroos has struggled in defense, but for the better part of the game he was composed on the ball and made few mental errors. He'll have to be better against Barcelona in the future, but for now his performance was satisfactory.
Luka Modrić: 8- Luka boasted a 100 percent pass completion rate, yet somehow didn't have the usual commandeering impact he has on matches. The ball was often played up the wings through the likes of James and Isco, so Modrić didn't have too many opportunities to pick out any assists or pose many threats in attack, but like Kroos, he did what he had to and didn't make mistakes.
James Rodríguez: 8- It was encouraging to see James so comfortable in a new position, and he continued to impress with a strong defensive work rate to complement his tenacious attacking ability.
Isco: 9- Isco is known to be creative on the ball and pick out jaw-dropping passes, but this was a different type of dominating performance from the Spanish dynamo. He was gritty and looked happy to dig balls out of the midfield as he was impactful more on the defensive end than ever before. His standing ovation from the Bernabéu was well, well deserved.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 8- It's unreal how a strong performance while finding the net just once is considered a letdown from a player. Cristiano did Cristiano things, including starting the comeback, bursting through Barça's defensive midfield and even being as unselfish as we've ever seen him -- almost to a fault. It was another day at the office for Ronaldo, whose presence is always, always felt against Barcelona.
Karim Benzema: 10- Benzema's current run of form is as good as it gets. His smartly timed runs is outshone only by his ability to find teammates breaking into space. On the clinching goal, Benzema put the ball where the keeper never had a chance to get it, and all game he helped disarrange Barcelona's defense. Like Carvajal, not much more could be asked of him.
Sami Khedira, Asier Illarramendi, Alvaro Árbeloa: Insufficient minutes.
BONUS! Referee Jesús Gil Manzano: 8- Not often do I find myself singing the praises of an official following a Clásico, but Manzano was immense today. He kept the players under control, but still allowed the game to flow. He took no extra chatter from either side and let it be known early on that the players were to behave themselves. It was a huge task for a ref of only 30 years of age, but he did fantastically well.
Man of the Match: An argument could be made for each Marcelo, Benzema, Isco and Carvajal, but I'll give it to Dani Carvajal.