Coming on the back of a series of dominating displays against some of the best European clubs, much was expected for FC Barcelona against Espanyol, and they delivered the same. Having entered the fixture as the favorites, the Blaugrana club dominated the Catalan derby, securing a massive 3-1 win at the Montjuic Stadium.
FC Barcelona dominates the Catalan derby as they defeat Espanyol 3-1 at home
Be it their offensive front, the midfield, or the defense line, Barca stood brilliant in all aspects, registering yet another La Liga win to their name. With the seasoned stars, Raphinha and Dani Olmo, performing their best, and prodigy youngsters putting their all, Flick-led FC Barcelona cruised past Espanyol much comfortably.
As expected, the Blaugrana club started the fixture in full swing, being significantly aware of the high stakes involved in the important derby match day. Soon, the side's controlled possession play, embedded with their usual high-press tactics, yielded results as Dani Olmo, returning back in the starting XI, gave Barca the lead in the 12th minute.
Exploiting the space found at the edge of the box, ace prodigy Lamine Yamal provided an excellent trivela pass to Olmo, who with a brilliant finish, struck the go-ahead goal for FC Barcelona. With this goal contribution, Yamal moved to his 14th goal contribution of the season, while Olmo had his 4th goal this season.
Although having gone a goal ahead in the early minutes, the side continued hunting for more goals, and not much later, Captain Raphinha doubled their lead. A sensational through ball by prodigy star Marc Casado was brilliantly put past Joan Garcia by Brazilian ace Raphinha, doubling Barca's grip in the fixture.
Not much later, Spanish superstar Dani Olmo ended any leftover hopes for their Catalan derby rivals to make a comeback, making it 3-0 for Barcelona in the 31st minute. Captain Raphinha, recovering the ball with an exceptional effort, played it to Balde, who then teed up the ball for Olmo to strike a rocket in the Espanyol net.
Having gone 3-0 up in the first half through Olmo's brace and a goal from Raphinha, the Blaugrana club was completely over the opposition in the Catalan Derby fixture. While they didn't look that dominant in the second half, having got a goal conceded as well, FC Barcelona ended the home fixture with the complete 3 points.
With this win, the Blaugrana club now has 33 points from the 12 La Liga matchdays, having extended their tabletop lead to 9 points. Going forward, the side is scheduled to face Crvena Zvezda in the UCL campaign next. Barca fans would hope that the side, taking key takeaways from the Espanyol fixture, returns even stronger, strengthening their chances of major titles this season.