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Barcelona have temporarily extended their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points after a hard-fought 2-0 victory at the RCDE Stadium, ending Espanyol’s five-game winning streak.

Despite a hostile atmosphere largely aimed at Joan García, he and his Barcelona teammates handled the early pressure with composure.

Ferran Torres squandered an early chance to put the visitors ahead in the third minute, miscontrolling the ball with only the goalkeeper to beat. Espanyol’s closest opening came in the ninth minute from a towering Leandro Cabrera header off a corner.

Barcelona dominated possession, but Espanyol’s deep defensive block and rapid counterattacks kept the Blaugranes on edge throughout the first half. Lamine Yamal’s only notable contribution before halftime was a curling shot that went wide, while García produced a stunning one-handed save to deny Pere Milla’s header just before the break.

Barcelona didn’t register a shot on target until first-half stoppage time, with Marko Dmitrovic comfortably saving Lamine’s effort. The intensity carried into the second half, with Barcelona showing greater attacking intent. Substitute Fermin López injected energy into the side, and Jules Kounde’s header tested Dmitrovic, who again kept Espanyol at bay.

Espanyol came close to breaking the deadlock around the hour mark, with Roberto Fernandez and Tyrhys Dolan threatening, but García’s superb saves—including one from Fernandez’s attempt and a full-length stop from Carlos Romero—kept Barcelona in the game. Dmitrovic also denied Eric Garcia from two yards, highlighting the relentless back-and-forth nature of the match.

Ultimately, Dani Olmo’s exquisite finish with five minutes remaining broke the deadlock. Substitute Robert Lewandowski later added a second, securing the points for Barcelona.

The result reinforces Barcelona’s dominance at the RCDE Stadium, where Espanyol have yet to claim a win, and sees the Catalan side victorious in 10 of their last 11 games overall.