Barcelona moved 14 points clear of defending La Liga champions Real Madrid with a swashbuckling 3-0 win at the Bernabeu.

The Catalan giants went into the game knowing a win would all but end Los Blancos' hopes of winning the trophy.

And they produced the perfect performance to beat Madrid, with Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal all scoring for Barcelona.

Many now expect Valverde's side to regain the trophy they lost back in May, when Luis Enrique was in charge.

Yet the Barcelona boss has done his best to downplay their chances of glory after the Bernabeu battering.

"We're happy. We beat a great team on their pitch," he told BeIN SPORTS.

"We're still in the first half [of the season] and there's a long way to go.

"I don't want to say anything; there's still everything to decide."

Real Madrid started the better side before Barcelona blitzed them on home soil.

And Valverde admitted the first 45 minutes were tough.

"They planned a game to stop us from playing," he said. 

"We had to go long. If we did not save ourselves from the first line of pressure, we didn't have the ball.

"After that, we controlled possession. Bit by bit, the chances and the goals came.

"In a match like that, when it's so physical, it's most difficult at the start. Then we played with more ease.

"I didn't think Madrid were of it. In fact, Madrid are never dead. They attacked and had more chances with 10 men, if anything."