Barcelona kept their faint title hopes alive and doomed Espanyol to relegation on Wednesday as Luis Suarez’s goal proved the winner in a pivotal Catalan derby at the top and bottom of La Liga.
Barca endured a nervy first half against their Catalan rivals, who in turn are now relegated following Wednesday’s loss at Camp Nou.
Espanyol, who remain at the bottom of the table, had a golden chance to get one on Barca in the 44th minute when Didac Vila’s shot clipped the post following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s stellar initial save.
Both sides went down a man within moments of each other in the second half, with Barca’s Ansu Fati first going off for a studs-up launch into Leandro Cabrera in the 50th minute.
Three minutes later, Pol Lozano was sent off for Espanyol after challenging Gerard Pique.
Barca then capitalised on the breakthrough with Antoine Griezmann back-heeling the ball into Lionel Messi’s path, who then served Suarez for the goal.
Real Madrid have a game in hand and can regain their four-point lead over Barca if they beat Alaves on Friday.
Espanyol, rooted to the bottom of the table, will be relegated. They sit 11 points adrift of safety with only three games left to play.