The title is Barca’s to lose: Leo Messi, Luis Suarez and Co swat away derby nuisance

Andy Mitten writes from the Camp Nou, where Barcelona made easy work of a tricky derby and cleared the penultimate hurdle toward retaining the La Liga title.

Barcelona 5 Espanyol 0

BARCELONA // When Barcelona won the treble a year ago, their pesky neighbours Espanyol bought up key advertising sites around the city to announce that their club was a "Marvellous Minority".

The billboards added an amusing backdrop to Barcelona’s celebrations and also pointed out that while Barca are the elephant in the room, there’s still space for another animal, a blue and white budgie which pecks at the elephant, irritates it, distracts it and provokes a reaction.

Espanyol do this whenever they meet Barca. The bigger club usually rise above it, but Espanyol delight when they bring Barca down, when they get level, as they did in the penultimate game of the 2006/07 season to stop Barca winning the league with a last minute winner from two-goal local hero Raul Tamudo.

• Read more: Diego Forlan – Don't be fooled, Atletico Madrid will go all out for revenge against Real Madrid

• Also see: Lionel Messi and Barcelona train ahead of possible title-deciding derby – in pictures

Irritation is a legitimate tool against a larger foe whose success is rammed down their throats daily. When the pair met three times in January, goalkeeper Pau Lopez stood on Lionel Messi's toe, there were scuffles on the pitch, in the tunnel and outside the changing rooms.

At a rainy Camp Nou on Sunday, in front of a huge 91,610 crowd, Barca’s third biggest of the season, the enmity continued. Though the visitors were significantly weaker than a Barca side who’ve returned to winning ways after losing four times in five games in April, Luis Enrique’s team are not invincible and Espanyol hoped to expose any psychological doubts in their minds.

With much still to be decided at both ends of the table in the last two games, all 10 La Liga games kicked off at same time for the first time this season. Real Madrid were home to Valencia, Atletico Madrid at relegated Levante. A point separated the three leaders, with Barca favourites by virtue of a better head-to-head record. Could Espanyol trip them up?

Victor Alvarez tried as he produced a two-footed tackle on Lionel Messi in a first half where four Espanyol players were booked, but that was after Messi had given his team the lead after eight minutes, curling a free kick high over the visitors’ wall from 20 yards.

Lopez, a talented young goalkeeper, could get his hand to the ball but not enough to stop it going in. Espanyol are just about safe from relegation, but they didn’t know that during the game.

Barca made it 2-0 seven minutes into the second half. Dani Alves won the ball 30 yards from the away goal, passed forward to Messi who did likewise for Luis Suarez for the 300th goal of his professional career and 36th league goal of the season.

That would become 301 and 37 nine minutes later when Suarez found space by pulling back from his marker to head in a Neymar corner. It was the 1,000th La Liga goal of the season and Suarez alone has scored more than the entire Espanyol team. “El Pistolero” read a flag in the stands raised to the Uruguayan.

Substitute Rafinha made it four in the 74th minute after a cross slipped through Lopez’s hands prompting Mexican waves in the huge stadium. Espanyol were finished, but Barca weren’t finished with them. Neymar made it 5-0 with another effort that had been gifted for him after Alves chipped a ball into the box and Suarez squared to the Brazilian.

Real Madrid also won, but Atletico’s defeat at relegated Levante means they are out of the race at the last.

Barcelona need to beat Granada away next week to retain the title, the Andalusians confirming their safety with a win at Sevilla. The league is Barca's to lose.

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