Away goals from David Villa and Lionel Messi left Barca the happier of the teams, after Real had created better chances, and their night was crowned with news that Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas had finally agreed his move from Arsenal.
Real had taken the lead through Mesut Ozil after only 13 minutes in a vibrant atmosphere, and Xabi Alonso grabbed the equaliser early in the second half.
"We are behind with our preparations so it has been a huge achievement to get a result against a Real Madrid side who have played very well," Barca coach Pep Guardiola told reporters.
Referring to Fabregas he said: "Cesc grew up in Barcelona he became a huge player thanks to Mr [Arsene] Wenger and Arsenal, and now he is a better player than we he left. Now we will try and make him better."
In the absence of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, both suffering with injuries, Javier Mascherano and Eric Abidal teamed up in the centre of Barca´s defence, where they were quickly found out.
With the memories of last season's bad-tempered clashes in the league, King's Cup and Champions League still fresh in mind tempers started to flare, adding extra spice to the atmosphere, but Real failed to capitalise on their chances.
"Perhaps we didn't get the result we deserved but we are happy with the work of the team," Karanka said.
"It's a bittersweet result, but we showed we are a better team than last year."
