Luis Suarez left the field a loser last October in his first ever Clasico but on Sunday night he walked off the pitch a man who had put the league title within touching distance of his team – some way to mark your first ever home game against Real Madrid. ‘That’s why we paid a lot of money for him, he compliments what we already have,’ said Luis Enrique of a performance and a goal that meant even though Real Madrid had successfully subdued Lionel Messi they still lost the game. The Barcelona squad have plenty of players who float like butterflies, but at times over the last few seasons what they have really needed was someone who could sting like a bee – Luis Suarez did exactly that on Sunday night. Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring for Barcelona in his first ever home match against Real Madrid . Suarez gets the better of Real Madrid pair Pepe (left) and Sergio Ramos to score for Barcelona on Sunday . It wasn’t quite the 3-1 win that earlier in the season Real Madrid inflicted on Barcelona – and that could still matter if the two teams finish level on points such is the head-to-head goal-difference rule in Spain – but it was still some performance and some win. And what a difference five months had made. That Santiago Bernabeu Clasico was Suarez’s debut after his Fifa ban for biting Georgio Cheillini had ended. He made an almost instant impact setting up Neymar to score after just four minutes. He then laid another golden opportunity on a plate for Messi only to see it missed and Real Madrid come back into the game and win it 3-1. On Sunday night the impact was not so instant but it was lasting. Luis Enrique will also have made a note of how two other new signings who were both still bedding-in last October were also very important in the win. He had insisted on the club signing Real Sociedad keeper Claudio Bravo and he was outstanding, making brilliant saves from Karim Benzema at both ends of the second half. Jeremy Mathieu, meanwhile, was the unlikely scorer of the first goal. ‘I have been pushing myself to get my first goal for the club and finally it comes in the biggest game’ he said. He was also outstanding defensively alongside an immense Gerard Pique. Suarez is crowded out during his first-ever El Clasico match at the Bernabeu as Barcelona lost 3-1 in October . Defender Jeremy Mathieu celebrates with his Barcelona team-mates after giving his team the lead . Luis Enrique was questioned for requesting the signing of Mathieu – a 30-year-old defender with a €20m price tag was always going to have a hard job convincing supporters but Sunday night’s display will have gone a long way to doing that. For Suarez the convincing had already been done with those two crucial goals at the Etihad that made sure Manchester City were brushed aside by Barcelona in the Champions League. Sunday night’s finishing told supporters nothing they didn’t already know. There is a phrase – ‘mig-toc’ – coined by former Barcelona player and coach Charly Rexach which means ‘half-touch’ and is meant to describe Barcelonaa’s passing game as something one step beyond one-touch. Suarez is congratulated by his team-mates as his goal pushed Barcelona closer to the La Liga title . Suarez has that same speed of touch, not in his passing, but in his finishing. The control and shot past Iker Casillas seemed to be part of one movement that happened far too quickly for the Spain keeper and Real defender Pepe to do anything about. He is not the first to score in his first Nou Camp Clasico. Other big signings such as Gary Lineker, Diego Maradona, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all did likewise. Not all their goals were worth La Liga titles however. ‘There is still an eternity to go’ said Javier Mascherano after Sunday night’s game and while 10 matches is little more than a quarter of a season it is true that so much can still happen, especially as Barcelona must travel to Atletico Madrid and Sevilla before the season ends. But Barcelona are now in control of their own destiny and in Suarez they have someone absolutely determined not to finish second this season as he did last year with Liverpool.
Luis Suarez scored winning goal in victory over Real Madrid on Sunday . Former Liverpool striker netted after Jeremy Mathieu opened scoring . Suarez had lost first El Clasico against Real Madrid 3-1 in October . READ: Gerard Pique earns plaudits  for flawless display in El Clasico . CLICK HERE for all the latest Barcelona news .