Barcelona increase lead at top of Spanish La Liga with 2-0 win against Espanyol

Jordi Alba was sent off for Barca while Hector Moreno was also given his marching orders for the home side.

Updated: April 26, 2015 4:47 AM IST

By R Vishal

Barcelona increase lead at top of Spanish La Liga with 2-0 win against Espanyol

Barcelona-away

Barcelona are slowly but surely crawling back to the gravy train that enthralled football lovers in the Pep Guardiola era. For atleast a day, the Blaugurana  will enjoy a five-point lead at the top of the table before Real Madrid take on Celta Vigo on Sunday. The flair and the brilliance of Barca’s front three, comprising of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar was interspersed with the petulance of Jordi Alba, who was sent off in the 54th minute for showing dissent.

The result was never in doubt after Neymar slotted the ball into the net in what was a well-worked finish. Set up by Messi, the ball was switched to Jordi Alba on the left-flank, who in turn passed the ball to Suarez, whose delivery set up the goal. While a deadly earthquake uprooted an entire country in the other end of the world, it was an emotional journey for Barcelona too. The game marked the one year anniversary of former player and manager Tito Vilanova.

The game was put to bed by Messi, who added to the 400th goal, that he brought up against  Valencia last week. After Jordi Alba lost his head, Espanyol’s Hector Moreno also followed suit. The ‘friendly derby’ was the last of the challenging battles that Barcelona are expected to have on paper, as they aim for yet another European double.

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