Luis Suarez says that his match-winning goal in Sunday's 2-1 La Liga Clasico win over Real Madrid was the most important he has scored for Barcelona to date.
Well-known disciplinary reasons meant it took three months for Suarez to make his Barca debut following his 80-million-euro summer move from Liverpool, and the 28-year-old then took another three months to really settle at the Camp Nou, but he now has eight goals in his last nine games for the club.
Two of these goals were scored in last month's 2-1 Champions League last 16 first leg win at Manchester City, however the Uruguay international told TV3 after the game that the Clasico winner was now definitely his most important strike for his new club.
"For the moment this is the most important goal I have scored for Barca, and it has an extra meaning, for the opponent it was against," Suarez said. "The dressing room is very happy. We knew this was the most important game, to stay ahead in the table, in first place, and to stretch the lead."
Suarez's coolly taken strike, when he took one touch to kill a long-ball from Dani Alves, then another to slide his shot past Madrid keeper Iker Casillas, changed completely a game which had until then been evenly balanced following first half goals from Jeremy Mathieu and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The match-winner admitted that his side had not had their usual control of the game during the first half, when Ronaldo also hit the crossbar and Gareth Bale had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside, but had taken control once they had gone ahead for a second time.
"In the first half we were involved a lot in the play, with back and forward, it was not the control of the game which this team is associated with," Suarez said. "We played very direct, and they are Real Madrid, they pressed very well. We did not have the ball in the first half, but after the break we wanted to play better, and it came together."
Barcelona's four point advantage with ten games still to play was far from decisive, said Suarez, while adding a possible allusion to Liverpool's slip in last season's Premier League race.
"There is a long way to go, we know La Liga is very difficult," he said. "We must take advantage of this advantage against a very strong opponent like Real Madrid. Just like in every league, you never know what will happen if you relax a bit."