Leo Messi brought the Catalan derby to life in the Camp Nou from a free-kick. The Argentine forward flicked an effort over the Espanyol wall and towards the top corner of the net, where the efforts of Victor Sanchez to clear the ball off the line met with little success.
The game was ticking towards the 70 minute park when Barcelona won a free-kick on the edge of the Espanyol penalty area.
Up stepped Messi, flicking the ball delicately over the Espanyol wall with almost no power on the shot whatsoever.
Victor Sanchez tried to meet the ball with his head on the line, but could only divert it into his own net.
It was Messi's first of the game, with the Barcelona forward also scoring his side's second in a 2-0 victory, only strengthening their hold on the La Liga title race.