Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona: Neymar & Messi give visitors the derby win

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were in scintillating form on Saturday, inspiring 10-man Barcelona to a comfortable 2-0 Catalan derby win over Espanyol to move them five points clear at the top of La Liga.

Despite Friday's Champions League semi-final draw pairing Barca with club legend Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich, Luis Enrique's side's focus could not be questioned, with their stellar attacking trio taking their collective goals tally to an incredible 97 for the season.


Luis Enrique's men had already seen several fine opportunities go to waste before Neymar's opener 17 minutes in - the in-form Brazilian's fifth goal in as many games.

And their second followed shortly after, Suarez - who also starred for Neymar's goal - setting up Messi for his 47th of the season across all competitions.

The brilliant front three continued to torment Espanyol and, although Jordi Alba's 54th-minute dismissal cast some doubt over Barca's position, a turnaround never looked likely as the visitors cranked up the pressure on second-placed Real Madrid ahead of their trip to Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Barcelona's pairing with Guardiola's Bayern dominated the build-up, but the visitors showed no signs of being distracted early on, carving through Espanyol at will.