Ancelotti: "It's a very big step towards winning LaLiga"

Carlo Ancelotti spoke in the press room at the Santiago Bernabéu following Real Madrid's win in the Clásico on matchday 32 of LaLiga: "It's a very big step towards winning LaLiga. We've got a big advantage, but we can't lower our guard. We need to pick up a few more points and these games will help us prepare for the Champions League semi-finals".

"Vinicius didn't like coming off and wanted to keep going. The forwards have put in a huge effort, especially after the last game. We always ask the forwards to defend and work for the team. They're the fastest, they try to attack deep and they use a lot of energy. I understand that he wanted to continue, but we had to bring fresh legs on".

Bellingham and the winning goal
"Bellingham arrived at the right time. He put in a lot of hard work, a lot of effort and he hadn't scored for a long time. He scored a goal today that could be crucial for the league".

Sacrifice
"I don't want to give my opinion on what Xavi thinks because everybody has their own opinion. It was an even, competitive and hard-fought game. Barcelona had some good spells, just like us. We managed to win this game with the last bit of energy and that puts us in a good position in the table".

High standard game
"As always, there are some situations. The goal wasn't given because there was no clear image to determine that the ball had gone in. The penalty for the foul on Lucas Vázquez seemed clear to me. I'll concentrate on our performance because it was good as was Barcelona's. They showed a lot of quality with their youngsters and the game was of a high standard".

Lucas Vázquez's great form
"He's a very important player, not only for what he did today, but throughout the season. He's playing at a very high level, he competes with Carvajal, who is one of the best full-backs in the world. He's made a difference in other games as well. Carvajal could play today, but other players are doing very well this season, like Lucas and Modrić. They are helping us very much in situations like this after the heavy workload of Wednesday's game".

System of play against Barcelona
"We tried to repeat what we did in the last games against Barcelona, particularly in the Super Cup game. We pressed higher up the pitch since we were playing at home and that worked out well. We missed some good chances in the last 30 metres. We played on the outside too much instead of through the middle, where we had more superiority. It's been an unforgettable and amazing week and that's all we can take away from it".

Real Madrid DNA
"We did very well, it couldn't have gone any better and very few people thought it could have. We didn't give up as usual".

Spectacular season
"It has been a great season despite the injuries. We had to consider whether Barcelona deserved to win the game. I think a draw would have been a fai result and it wouldn't have been bad for us".

Key features of the match
"When we made it 2-2, Barcelona looked to push players forward and lost their balance. We then made easy transitions and in one of them we made it 3-2. Vinicius could have scored earlier in a move that involved Lunin".

Great support from madridismo
"There's a very good connection between our stadium and our fans. The fans have the same enthusiasm and excitement as us. The connection helps us, it has helped us and it will help us again".

Getting players back
"We'll now attempt to recover as well as possible. We preferred to rest Nacho and Mendy, who didn't recover in time. In order to prepare for the end of the season we have to start by winning the games we have to play and we have to start with Friday's game".

Arda Güler's minutes
"I haven't seen it and I can't give my opinion. I celebrated with my coaching staff, we will now evaluate everything calmly and Güler will get the minutes he needs".