Barcelona coach Xavi raged at more perceived refereeing injustice after he saw his team’s slim hopes of winning the Spanish title disappear.
‘I’m not going to say anything about the referee because I will be banned if I do but it was there for all to see,’ he said. ‘We were the better team tonight and we deserved to win.’
The Barcelona coach was unhappy that a first half shot on goal from Lamine Yamal was ruled out for not having crossed the line.
La Liga does not have goal-line technology and various freeze frames looked inconclusive after the 16-year-old flicked a Raphinha corner goalwards and Madrid keeper Lunin scrambled the ball away on the line.
‘I don't want to comment Xavi's words,’ responded Carlo Ancelotti. ‘We won this game with our energy and have given ourselves a huge advantage in the table.’
Barcelona keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen was also furious that the first half ‘ghost goal’ had not been given.
He said: ‘It's a disgrace that they can't find an angle to check the goal. I have no words to describe that.’
Xavi’s ref rant did not stop at the goal line incident. He said: ‘The referee did not get a single decision right.
'It’s a disgrace and we should not remain silent. I hoped the referee would either go unnoticed or get his decisions right but it was neither of those two things.’
Jude Bellingham was Barcelona's villain at the Santiago Bernabeu as the Englishman scored his third El Clasico goal of the season to rescue a stoppage time victory for the hosts.
It was a classic comeback from the Spanish giants who found themselves 2-1 down when Fermin Lopez gave the visitors a 2-1 lead after scoring in the 69th minute.
His effort was soon cancelled out as Lucas Vasquez equalised prior to Bellingham's late winner.
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you can say whatever you want about Barcelona but you conscience knows that referee made a lot of mistakes in favor of Madrid...it happens but that's reality... so keep being hypocrites... i can just remind you about the Almeria game when you got all the points with goals from referees again all mistakes Madrid's team....so if you want to talk you have to be clear....and i dare you if you are so good why Modric didn't get a red when he should have got a yellow for shooting Raphina's legs after he lost the ball , why he didn't get a yellow when he touched the ball with his hand when Yamal was passing the ball, why he didn't get a yellow when he stepped on Pedri's foot? there are a lot of things in which referee was so bad but this was the worse i couldn't explain....3 fouls he should have got a yellow before he got it only by the number of fouls he made plus every one of them was for a yellow... I'm not going to say anything except stop being hypocrites!