Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v Espanyol - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - November 3, 2024 FC Barcelona's Dani Olmo celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
BARCELONA (Reuters) -LaLiga leaders Barcelona beat Espanyol 3-1 in the Catalan derby on Sunday thanks to a first-half double from Dani Olmo and a goal from Raphinha to extend their unbeaten run over their local rivals to 27 games.
The victory moved Barcelona nine points clear of Real Madrid, who did not play at Valencia this weekend after their match was postponed due to the devastating floods in the region. Espanyol are 17th, a point above the relegation zone.
Barcelona, who thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 last weekend, could have kept another clean sheet but Javi Puado scored for Espanyol, who were unlucky to have two goals chalked off by VAR for marginal offsides.
"We're going little by little, it's very important to keep winning. We've come off a good week. Espanyol weren't going to come here and give us anything but we got the three points, so it's mission accomplished," Olmo said.
"We're a side that have a lot of goals, up top and from players in midfield. We decided to play directly and we create a lot of chances in every game."
Barcelona dominated possession from the outset and nearly scored an early goal with a neat passing move but Olmo's header from the centre of the box went over to give Espanyol a reprieve.
Moments later 17-year-old Lamine Yamal played him through with a sumptuous pass using the outside of his left boot and Olmo fired it home first time to open the scoring.
Barca's second goal came from another sublime assist from near the centre circle when Marc Casado's lob over the defence found Raphinha who chipped his shot over the onrushing keeper to make it 2-0.
Espanyol thought they had halved the lead when Jofre Carreras found the net from a counter-attack but his strike was ruled out by VAR as right back Omar El Hilali had strayed offside.
Barca then rubbed salt into the wound when an unmarked Olmo found space outside the box and he pulled the trigger, beating the outstretched arm of keeper Joan Garcia to find the back of the net for his fifth LaLiga goal in five games this season.
Olmo had no opportunity to grab a hat-trick when Hansi Flick withdrew him 10 minutes into the second half, while Espanyol had yet another goal ruled out as Barca's well-oiled offside trap came to their rescue once again.
But Espanyol finally beat the trap and Carlos Romero found Puado, who managed to beat Inaki Pena in Barca's goal.
Barcelona were not as effective in attack in the second half, especially after Olmo's withdrawal, but Flick's side did enough to claim the three points.
"In the first half they were finding each other easily in the middle and they had a shot from outside the box, we changed that and rectified it in the second half," Puado said.
"Against these sides you need to have a perfect game. Otherwise it's difficult to win, especially when it's 3-0; it's difficult to come back."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
