Camp Nou witnessed another emphatic statement in the title race as Barcelona overpowered city rivals Espanyol 4-1, extending their perfect home record in La Liga and tightening their grip on first place. Hansi Flick’s side move to 82 points from 32 matches, now with 88 goals scored and 31 conceded, while Espanyol remain 10th on 38 points, their goal tally shifting to 38 for and 52 against.
Barcelona set the tone early, monopolising possession and pinning Espanyol deep in their 4-4-1-1 block. The breakthrough came in the 9th minute, when Lamine Yamal slipped a clever pass into the left channel for Ferran Torres. The forward timed his run perfectly, cut inside, and finished low beyond Marko Dmitrović to make it 1-0.
The same combination struck again in the 25th minute. Once more, Yamal found space between the lines and threaded a ball into Torres, who drifted off the back of the centre-back and finished clinically. At 2-0, Barcelona’s control of the derby was almost total, their 4-2-3-1 shape allowing Pedri and Pablo Gavi to overload central areas while Ferran stretched the back line.
First Half
The first flashpoint arrived on 32 minutes with a double booking. Omar El Hilali was shown yellow for unsportsmanlike conduct after a late challenge, and moments later Gavi received a caution of his own for his reaction, underlining the derby edge despite the scoreline. Espanyol’s frustration grew in the 34th minute when Edu Expósito was booked for a foul in midfield as he tried to disrupt Barcelona’s rhythm.
Just before the interval, Cyril Ngonge went into the book in the 45th minute for another foul as Espanyol struggled to cope with Barcelona’s rotations. In first-half stoppage time, at 45+3, Eric García was cautioned for roughing, a reminder that Barcelona’s back line was not entirely untested despite their dominance.
Second Half
Both coaches moved quickly after the break. At the start of the second half, in the 46th minute, Marc Casadó replaced Gerard Martín for Barcelona, adding fresh legs at the back. Simultaneously, Espanyol introduced Roberto Fernández, who came on for Tyrhys Dolan to provide more presence up front.
Casadó’s impact was immediate but not entirely positive; he picked up a yellow card for roughing in the 49th minute after a robust challenge in midfield. Barcelona thought they had killed the contest in the 54th minute when Torres finished again, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for offside, keeping Espanyol faintly alive.
That reprieve energised the visitors, and in the 56th minute they found a lifeline. Pol Lozano surged forward from midfield and, after a loose ball broke kindly, drove a precise low shot into the corner to cut the deficit to 2-1. However, Lozano’s momentum was checked just two minutes later, in the 58th minute, when he was booked for a foul as Espanyol tried to press higher.
Espanyol shuffled again in the 64th minute, with Rubén Sánchez replacing Ngonge to add more defensive security on the flank. At the same moment, Flick refreshed his attack: Marcus Rashford came on for Gavi, adding direct running from the left, and João Cancelo replaced Alejandro Balde to give more attacking thrust from full-back.
Manolo González doubled down on changes in the 71st minute. Pere Milla replaced Kike García to offer more mobility in the forward line, while Ramón Terrats came on for Expósito to stabilise midfield. Barcelona responded in the 74th minute by withdrawing the outstanding Ferran Torres, introducing Dani Olmo to operate between the lines and help manage the tempo.
Espanyol’s final roll of the dice came in the 80th minute when Charles Pickel replaced Lozano, adding physicality in the centre. But Barcelona continued to control territory and tempo. Frustration told again in the 83rd minute as Fernando Calero was booked for tripping after being dragged out of position by Barcelona’s interchanges.
Flick’s last change arrived in the 84th minute, with Frenkie de Jong replacing Fermín López to bring composure and vertical passing from deep. That adjustment proved decisive in the closing stages. In the 87th minute, Lamine Yamal crowned his performance with a goal of his own, cutting inside from the right and bending a left-footed shot beyond Dmitrović to restore a two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Two minutes later, in the 89th minute, Rashford added the fourth. De Jong drove through midfield and slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the English forward, who finished calmly across the goalkeeper to make it 4-1 and underline Barcelona’s superiority. There was still time in the 90+2 minute for one last yellow card, with Urko González booked as Espanyol’s frustrations boiled over.
Statistics
Statistically, the scoreline reflected Barcelona’s dominance. They attempted 20 shots to Espanyol’s 10, with 10 on target for the hosts and 2 for the visitors. Dmitrović made 5 saves to keep the margin from becoming even heavier, while Barcelona’s goalkeeper registered 2 saves, matching Espanyol’s efforts on target. Barcelona’s territorial control was stark: 77 percent possession, 726 passes at 92 percent accuracy, and 4 blocked shots compared to Espanyol’s 23 percent possession, 201 passes, and 3 blocks. The xG figures, 2.81 for Barcelona and 1.17 for Espanyol, broadly aligned with the final 4-1 score.
In disciplinary terms, Espanyol’s 6 yellow cards to Barcelona’s 3 told the story of a side chasing shadows and resorting to fouls. Tactically, Flick’s team were superior in every phase, and their perfect home league record now reads 17 wins from 17, with 55 goals scored and 10 conceded at Camp Nou. Overall, Barcelona move to 26 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats in 32 matches, while Espanyol’s record slips to 10 wins, 8 draws and 14 losses.
With 82 points and a goal difference now improved to +57, Barcelona strengthen their position at the top of La Liga and in the Champions League spots. Espanyol remain 10th, still clear of the relegation battle but drifting further from the European conversation after another damaging derby defeat.
