La Liga: Barcelona's Attack Shines in 3-1 Win Against Espanyol

La Liga leaders Barcelona maintained their impressive early season form under Hansi Flick with a dominant 3-1 victory over city rivals Espanyol extending their lead to nine points over Real Madrid. Fresh off a decisive win in El Clásico, Barcelona’s attacking prowess was on full display, particularly through teenage winger Lamine Yamal, who delivered a brilliant cross that Dani Olmo converted off the crossbar for the opening goal in the 12th minute.

Just 11 minutes later, another rising star, Marc Casado delivered a perfectly threaded pass behind the Espanyol defense, enabling captain Raphinha to score with a well-timed run. Despite their attacking excellence, Barcelona’s high defensive line added drama as Espanyol saw two goals disallowed for narrow offside calls.

A potential goal from Jofre Carreras was ruled out by VAR but Olmo quickly reestablished the three-goal lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the area in this La Liga clash. Espanyol saw an early second-half effort by Alvaro Tejero also disallowed for offside before captain Javi Puado managed to pull one back in the 63rd minute, scoring at the far post.

Despite a stronger showing from Espanyol as the match progressed, they remained second-best throughout, continuing their poor derby record against Barcelona now winless in their last 27 encounters. Under Flick, Barcelona has won 11 of their 12 league matches with their only loss coming against Osasuna in late September.

They have been on a six-match winning streak across all competitions, scoring a remarkable 24 goals during that span. Barcelona will next face Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League aiming to sustain their excellent momentum. Earlier in the day, Atletico Madrid secured a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas closing in on Real Madrid in the standings.