Barcelona had everything going for them against Real Madrid in Sunday's El Clasico matchup, providing two goals in the first half en route to the victory. Despite Barca's struggles in La Liga this season, they managed to silence the crowd at El Bernabeu with their stunning performance, leaving Carlo Ancelotti scratching his head and desperate for answers.

Tensions were high throughout the game, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang somehow avoiding a yellow card after a harsh tackle on Tony Kroos. Goals from Aubameyang and Ronald Araujo saw the Catalans take the early lead. Ousmane Dembele was pulling the strings in attack, supplying assists on both goals for Barca, playing a key role in the attacking third with his blazing quick pace and pin-point passing abilities.

With all that in mind, here are three takeaways from the El Clasico matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

3 takeaways from Barcelona-Real Madrid's El Clasico matchup

3. Real Madrid lack creativity without Karim Benzema

With Karim Benzema on the sideline for Real Madrid, absent due to a calf injury, Los Blancos lacked strong linkup play in attack. An early effort from Vinicius Jr. was left waning after he was forced to wait for arriving options in the attacking third — the first of whom to arrive was box-to-box midfielder Federico Valverde. Real Madrid utilizing Luka Modric up front was a disastrous tactical choice from Ancelotti, and the results were clear as day.

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All of this just hammers down the main point; when Benzema is off the pitch, Real Madrid cannot build up attacking play. What Benzema creates for this team simply cannot be understated, and it was made completely evident during the thrashing against Barca. On the occasions when Vinicius Jr. did manage to get the ball down the side in the attacking third, his options in the center were limited, and as a result, their scoring chances were few and far between. Typically, Benzema would be naturally filling up space inside the box or helping to link-up play in the midfield. Without him contributing in either department, the offense lacked a much-needed spark.

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the striker Barca needed

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's addition by Barcelona has been a breath of fresh air for both sides. After becoming an outcast at Arsenal, the Gabon international is flourishing once again now that he's with Barca. He tucked away a goal in the first half against of El Clasico and instantly set up Ferran Torres with a picture-perfect assist early on in the second half.  He added another goal shortly after his assist to Torres with a cheeky chip to beat Thibault Courtois, further adding to the misery among the Real Madrid squad. Despite the complaints from the Real Madrid squad, VAR confirmed the goal. Barcelona was desperate for a goal-scoring threat during the winter transfer window, and they got exactly that with their free transfer for Aubameyang. Across seven appearances for the club since joining, Aubameyang has scored 7 goals and added 1 assist.

1. Barcelona is back

It's been a season to forget for Barcelona, but things have started to look up for the Catalan giants. This win against Real Madrid in the El Clasico showdown is worth way more than 3 points in the table, though those points are incredibly valuable for the club. A demoralizing win against their biggest rival, the likes of which we haven't seen in years, is exactly what this club needed to make a statement to the rest of the world. After all the mockery and ridicule the club faced over their recent financial woes and struggles in the league, Barcelona are back in business and doing what they do best. The club is unbeaten in its last 12 matches and has earned a 4-0 result in three of its last six games after the win over Los Blancos.

They're still a ways away from Real Madrid the league, 12 points down following their rout on Sunday, making it unlikely they'll be able to surge a coup back to the top of the table. Still, they have a chance to win the Europa League and hammering Real Madrid at El Bernabeu is a great way to remind the rest of Europe that they'll be as dominant as ever next season.