Ferran Torres secured a first-half double, with late goals from Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford leading Barcelona to a 4-1 victory in the derby against Espanyol, extending their lead in LaLiga to nine points.
Torres scored his two goals with a header and a low strike into the corner, both assisted by Yamal, celebrating his 100th LaLiga appearance. This gave Barcelona a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Espanyol’s Pol Lozano pulled one back early in the second half, but Yamal and Rashford ensured Barca took all three points just before the final whistle, capitalizing on rivals Real Madrid’s draw against Girona the previous day.
This win comes just three days after Barcelona’s defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, where they are down 2-0 heading into the second leg in Madrid.
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong returned to the bench following a hamstring injury, while coach Hansi Flick opted for five changes from the Atlético match, featuring Ronald Araújo, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Torres, and Fermín López starting.
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Espanyol’s Edu Expósito missed an early chance, but Barcelona took the lead in the ninth minute when Torres met Yamal’s corner with a powerful header at the back post.
Espanyol’s Kike had a shot saved by former goalkeeper Espanyol keeper Joan García, while Barcelona’s López was denied by Marko Dmitrovic.
Torres scored again in the 25th minute, collecting an exquisite outside-of-the-foot pass from Yamal and rolling it into the far corner past Dmitrovic.
Dmitrovic then produced two remarkable saves in quick succession, denying Eric García and tipping López’s shot over the bar, while Pedri fired wide as Barcelona sought to increase their lead before halftime.
Torres thought he had a third goal 10 minutes into the second half, but it was disallowed by VAR.
Espanyol struck back in the 56th minute through Lozano, whose fierce shot from just outside the area found the back of the net.
Barcelona pressed for an equalizer, with López shooting wide and Rashford’s attempt being blocked. Dmitrovic also saved a shot from João Cancelo.
Espanyol threatened to level the score, with chances for Fernando Calero and Rubén Sánchez before Roberto Fernández shot wide.
Barcelona sealed the win in the 87th minute as Yamal raced past Dmitrovic and calmly slotted into an empty net.
Just two minutes later, Rashford added the fourth by volleying De Jong’s cross into the bottom corner, with Yamal again involved in the play.