Suarez keeps LaLiga burning
Six days after vanquishing Clasico rivals Real Madrid away from home, Barcelona took all three points with a hard-fought 3-0 derby win at Espanyol on Saturday night at Cornella-El Prat.
Things looked in doubt at half-time as Barcelona looked bereft of ideas in attack, but a massive error from Jurado gift-wrapped a Luis Suarez goal in the 50th minute before Ivan Rakitic sealed the result in the 76th minute thanks to Lionel Messi's playmaking. Barcelona then tacked on a late score, when a whiff from Espanyol defender Aaron paved the way for Suarez's second of the night.
It was a Barcelona derby through and through: Play was physical and there was plenty of acrimony between the two teams to keep referee Undiano Mallenco busy the whole night. In the end though, the three points went back to the Camp Nou, as Barcelona retook their place atop the La Liga table with 81 points.
Manager Luis Enrique reverted back to a 4-3-3 formation after fielding a 3-4-3 in the midweek walloping of Osasuna. Andre Gomes came in for the injured Andres Iniesta, while Neymar returned from his three-match suspension to fill out the MSN in attack.
It was a nervy start for Barcelona as Espanyol could have easily taken the lead early one when Felipe Caicedo found Jurado, but the shot from the former Real Madrid youth product rolled wide of the far post.
Barcelona were having difficulty dealing with Espanyol's physicality, with Neymar in particular bearing the brunt of a number of hard fouls. It all played to the Pericos' favour, as Barcelona were unable to find their desired rhythm and instead found themselves drawn into a backyard brawl.
And when Barcelona did threaten deep in the Espanyol half, they were met by Quique Sanchez Flores' rock-solid defensive block. Luis Enrique's men were resigned to passing the ball in a semi-circle around the area until a cross either was cleared or floated out of play.
For all of Espanyol's stellar defensive work in the first-half, it all went down the drain early in the second-half when Jurado committed an astounding error. The Perico midfielder tried to play a long back-pass, presumably to goalkeeper Diego Lopez, but it didn't have enough juice on it and Suarez gladly swooped in and finished for the 1-0 Barcelona lead.
Seeking a goal to get back on level terms, Sanchez Flores went to his bench as the banged up Caicedo made way for Leo Baptistao and Pablo Piatti was replaced with Hernan Perez.
Still, the bulk of play belonged to Barcelona. Espanyol were forced to roll the dice and push lines forward, giving Barcelona more room to operate with Messi pulling the strings.
La Pulga took over and right as the match ticked over into the final quarter-hour, the Argentine set the table for Barcelona's second by leading a break that saw him feed Rakitic on the left and the Croatian stroked the easiest of shots past Diego Lopez to make it 2-0.
Deflated after the Rakitic goal, a lapse in concentration cost Espanyol another goal, as Aaron completely whiffed on a clearance and against it was Christmas morning for Suarez, who pounced on the ball right in front of goal and easily scored past Diego Lopez for the 3-0 final.
Match Sheet:
0.- Espanyol: Diego Lopez; Javi Lopez, David Lopez, Diego Reyes, Aaron; Javi Fuego (Marc Roca, min. 80), Victor Sanchez, Jurado, Piatti (Hernan Perez, min. 66); Caicedo (Leo Baptisao, min. 61), Gerard Moreno.
3.- Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Andre Gomes (Mascherano, min. 78); Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Goals: 0-1, min. 51: Suarez; 0-2, min. 76: Rakitic; 0-3, min. 87: Suarez
Referee: Undiano Mallenco (Navarra). Yellow Cards: Gerard Moreno (Min. 14) for Espanyol, Javi Fuego (Min. 68) for Espanyol
Red cards: None
Stadium: Cornella-El Prat
Attendance: 31.708
