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1-1: Always Gerard

Espanyol deserved the victory after a great second half

Espanyol added a point against UD Las Palmas in a game that deserved to win by game and by opportunities. After a first time with alternatives, the blue and white team was clearly superior to their opponent. Gerard equalized Calleri's penalty’s goal even though the team had numerous options to score. A shame.

After his victorious debut in Montilivi, David Gallego hoped to make his debut at the RCDE Stadium. The blue and white coach expected to see an evolution in the game of his team although, as he warned in the previous one, he does not have too much time to implement his football philosophy. To begin, several changes in the starting eleven: Melendo, Dídac, Hermoso and Granary entered the eleven. Opposite, a descending rival that, without the pressure of the points, seemed even more dangerous.

Espanyol started playing well, moving the ball and trying to carry the weight of the game. Fruit of high pressure, another characteristic of the philosophy of Gallego, came the first great opportunity of the game. Melendo, however, was not fortunate in defining despite Sergio García's good pass. The blue and white '9' had, shortly after, also a good opportunity, but his header was gentle at the hands of Chichizola. The whole team wanted to please his fans, but Las Palmas did not give any facility. Released and without the pressure of the points, the team of Paco Jémez began to break loose in attack and to benefit, also, from some inaccuracies of the locals. Espanyol stopped having the ball and was yielding meters to his rival. The worst, however, was to come. A yellow counter ended with a penalty by David López in the area. Calleri tricked Pau.

The white and blue were forced to overcome. Gerard could quickly tie in the next action, but his shot did not come out with the strength necessary to overcome Chichizola. Dídac had the clearest opportunity to score after a great collective play, but his shot did not find a goal when he had everything in his favor. The Blue and Whites' dominance until the break was absolute although they did not find a way to equalize the score.

The monologue continued after the break. Espanyol was total dominator of the game. The arrivals to the rival area multiplied in search of the desired goal of the tie. Sergio García was close in a header that came out licking the stick. Again, from the right, a very clear opportunity arrived. On this occasion, twice for Gerard. The '7' crashed his first shot on the crossbar and the later rejection Chichizola cleared with many troubles. The visiting goalkeeper ended up being the best of his team with another spectacular stop after a shot from Sergio García. The Las Palmas seemed an insurmountable wall until Gerard Moreno was able to knock it down. The '7' took advantage of a Dídac centre and an extension of Sergio Garcia to match the game. Espanyol continued to look for victory until the end. With a stellar Gerard, the players fought for the three points until the end although the espanyolistas were without the prize of the three points that they deserved by game and opportunities.