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2-0: Espanyol defeated in Butarque

A goal just before half time followed by another straight after the break sentenced the Blue and Whites to a miserable defeat

Leganés are starting to complicate Espanyol's future. The men from Butarque seem to have got the measure of the Blue and Whites' game and have now managed to defeat them three times in the last eleven months. Espanyol came to Leganés knowing that they had to improve their game after poor performances secured them only one point in their last two matches. Leganés hadn't had the best start to the season and this game was an opportunity for Espanyol to show how much they had improved. In the end it was the locals who came away with the three points, leaving Espanyol to think long and hard about what they will need to do to win this Sunday.

For much of the first half, the two teams played cautiously, sizing each other up, each side respecting their opponent and reluctant to do anything which might open opportunities for the opposing attack.

Leganés were solid in defence and looked to Arnaiz's speed and Borja and Sabin Merino's agility to try and upset Diego López. The Leganés attackers kept falling short of completely pushing him out of his comfort zone, meanwhile the Catalans worked hard in attack to try and get closer to Cuéllar's goal.

A huge long-range free kick from Embarba crashed into the local crossbar. It was a serious wake-up call to the locals who followed it up in the next few minutes with a couple of shots from Arnaiz at the other goal.

And in true football style, when everyone thought the first half was over and there wouldn't be any more surprises, Rubén Pardo sneaked the ball through to Borja and the local forward got past Diego López with a powerful shot. It was now 1-0 and two minutes later, just before the break, Miguelón received his second yellow card, in a move which looked more like a slip than a genuine attempt to bring down his opponent.

Espanyol had to really dig deep in the second half. One goal down and one player down. But as soon as play resumed, Arnaiz weaved his way through the Blue and White defence and slotted the ball past Diego López as he came off his line to stop him: 2-0. The rest of the game was fairly relaxed for the locals. With a good lead, numerical superiority and the clock in their favour, they just needed to keep the game ticking over until the end.

Espanyol tried a last heroic push, managing to get closer to their target and even calling for a penalty on Wu Lei, but the local bench cried for the final whistle to be blown.