Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has insisted that referee Alberto Undiano's performance in El Clasico should not be looked upon as the deciding factor in the match.
The Spanish official awarded Barcelona two penalties in their 4-3 win at the Bernabeu, a result that moved them just one point behind Los Blancos with nine games remaining.
"It was a great match but it can't be that once the game's over we focus on the referee. If we look at every individual play we'll never get out of here," he told reporters.
"The decisions are made in a split second and I don't believe the referee influenced the result.
"The players were fired up and we don't need to keep going over this. After the show we put on, it's unfair to talk about the referee."
Atletico Madrid currently top La Liga due to their superior head-to-head record over Madrid.