Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol (Nov 3, 2024) Game Analysis

LaLiga leaders Barcelona beat Espanyol 3-1 within the Catalan derby on Sunday because of a first-half double from Dani Olmo and a purpose from Raphinha to increase their unbeaten run over their native rivals to 27 video games.

The victory moved Barça 9 factors away from Actual Madrid, who didn’t play at Valencia this weekend after their match was postponed because of the devastating floods within the area. Espanyol are seventeenth, a degree above the relegation zone.

Barça, who thrashed Actual Madrid 4-0 final weekend, may have stored one other clear sheet however Javi Puado scored for Espanyol, who had been unfortunate to have two objectives chalked off by VAR for marginal offsides.

“We’re going little by little, it is crucial to maintain profitable. We have come off a great week. Espanyol weren’t going to come back right here and provides us something however we obtained the three factors, so it is mission achieved,” Olmo mentioned.

“We’re a facet which have a whole lot of objectives, up prime and from gamers in midfield. We determined to play immediately and we create a whole lot of probabilities in each recreation.”

Barça dominated possession from the outset and practically scored an early purpose with a neat passing transfer however Olmo’s header from the centre of the field went over to present Espanyol a reprieve.

Moments later 17-year-old Lamine Yamal performed him by means of with a luxurious move utilizing the surface of his left boot and Olmo fired it house first time to open the scoring.

Barça’s second purpose got here from one other elegant help from close to the centre circle when Marc Casadó’s lob over the defence discovered Raphinha who chipped his shot over the onrushing keeper to make it 2-0.

Espanyol thought that they had halved the lead when Jofre Carreras discovered the web from a counter-attack however his strike was dominated out by VAR as proper again Omar El Hilali had strayed offside.

Barça then rubbed salt into the wound when an unmarked Olmo discovered area exterior the field and he pulled the set off, beating the outstretched arm of keeper Joan García to seek out the again of the web for his fifth LaLiga purpose in 5 video games this season.

Olmo had no alternative to seize a hat trick when Hansi Flick withdrew him 10 minutes into the second half, whereas Espanyol had one more purpose dominated out as Barca’s well-oiled offside lure got here to their rescue as soon as once more.

Espanyol lastly beat the lure and Carlos Romero discovered Puado, who managed to attain previous Iñaki Peña in Barça’s purpose.

Barça weren’t as efficient in assault within the second half, particularly after Olmo’s withdrawal, however Flick’s facet did sufficient to assert the three factors.

“Within the first half they had been discovering one another simply within the center they usually had a shot from exterior the field, we modified that and rectified it within the second half,” Puado mentioned.

“Towards these sides it’s essential to have an ideal recreation. In any other case it is troublesome to win, particularly when it is 3-0; it is troublesome to come back again.”