Barcelona took on Espanyol in the Catalan derby early on Sunday night at Estadi Olimpic de Lluis Companys in a game that was nothing short of a festival for the Blaugrana.
Having made easy work of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in their last two games, Hansi Flick’s men entered the game in red-hot form. A week of rest only intensified the fire and made the team more ready for the clash.
It took just twelve minutes for the hosts to take the lead through Dani Olmo before Raphinha made it two for the team in the 23rd minute.
The third goal did not take long to arrive either, as Olmo completed his brace and extended the lead just past the half-hour mark. Espanyol, however, pulled one back in the 63rd minute.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Barcelona 3-0 Espanyol.
Inaki Pena: 7
Did not have a whole lot to do on the night and was beaten once only for the play to be called offside in the first half. Did not step off his line as he did in previous games and is conspicuously improving.
Allowed the ball into the net thrice in the second half, one of which was a legal goal. Made a great 1v1 save to deny Puado close to the hour mark.
Alejandro Balde: 7.5
Balde’s role under Hansi Flick has changed and the player is now beginning to shine in the niche handed to him.
The youngster was defensively solid as usual but his burst of pace and distribution in the final third was once again brilliant. Further, he regularly looked to invert to central positions as well, adding entropy to Barcelona’s attacking play.
Switched off for Espanyol’s goal and left Puado unmarked.
Inigo Martinez: 8.5
Martinez was solid defensively, seldom beaten and always the first player to ensure the offside trap was played to perfection. Even covered for Balde on the few occasions the youngster was stuck in an advanced position.
Pau Cubarsi: 8.5
The youngster was reliable with his reading of the game and distribution and executed the defensive plan to perfection once more. Came in with great decision making even when the opponents were on the break.
Hector Fort: 8
Stepping in as a replacement for Jules Kounde, Fort did a fine job defensively and was good with his forward progress. His combination with Yamal was understandably not as sharp as Kounde’s, but he brought a lot more to the buildup.
Marc Casado: 9
The definition of a warrior, Casado battled through Espanyol’s physicality to ensure Barcelona regained possession seconds after losing it time and time again. At one point, he took a volley to his groin and chest in a matter of seconds, yet fought on.
Earned a superb assist for Raphinha’s goal, playing a ball over the top and taking all of Espanyol’s outfield players out of the equation.
Pedri: 8.5
Barcelona’s engine on the ball and workhorse off it, Pedri was again sensational playing between the lines and dictating the tempo of the game. His accuracy with distribution was off the charts and his combination play with Yamal on the night is now a cheat code.
Dani Olmo: 9.5
With every start, Olmo just proves how much of an asset he is to this Barcelona side. The La Masia graduate created space with his every touch, was flawless on the ball and created mayhem in the box with his movements.
Opened the scoring with a great run and finish to a Lamine Yamal assist and completed his brace with a stunning strike from outside of the box.
Lamine Yamal: 9
It is just three months into the new season and there are already no adjectives left to describe the youngster on the field.
Yamal took the derby personally and was constantly looking to be the protagonist with his intricate dribbles, through balls and combination play. Racked up a sensational Trivela assist for Olmo’s opener that any player in the world would be proud of.
Raphinha: 8.5
The Brazilian did not see too much of the ball in the opening minutes, but once he got involved, there was no turning back. Again the orchestrator-in-chief in the final third, he led Barcelona’s attack on the break and his work off the ball was off the charts.
Scored Barcelona’s second goal on the night with a wonderful lob over the goalkeeper, much like his goal in the Clasico.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.5
The striker did not find the back of the net on the night but was sensational in the buildup phase. Playing in a deeper position off the ball, he was instrumental in transitioning defence to attack with his one-touch through balls.
Pulled off a sensational shot in the first half and attempted to curl it into the corner, only to be denied by Joan Garcia.
Frenkie de Jong: 7
Came on early in the second half and did well as part of the double pivot alongside Pedri. However, the altered pivot arrangement clearly had more gaps than when Casado was involved.
Fermin Lopez: 6.5
The youngster did not do much wrong in his cameo but understandably was a downgrade to Dani Olmo in attack who was operating on a whole new level.
