A hectic Catalan derby at Espanyol's Cornella- El Prat stadium ended with a 1-0 win for Barcelona as a third vital Leo Messi penalty in one week saw Barcelona climb to the top of the La Liga table. It was a typically tense and physical derby game - made even more difficult by the strong wind at the ground throughout the game.Both Messi and Neymar blew chances to give Barça an early lead and after those early wobbles, Espanyol tightened up and it took a Messi penalty after Javi Lopez handled in the box to put the visitors ahead late on. Once Espanyol keeper Kiko Casilla had been sent off soon after, Martino’s men were able to hold on to their lead and take the points.
The win saw Barcelona go top of the league by two points over Atlético who play Bilbao later in the day, while Barcelona extended their lead over Real Madrid to five points ahead of Rayo Vallecano's trip to the Bernabéu.
[A.M.A]
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