Barcelona Beat Espanyol Comfortably but Referee Draws Mixed Review

Barcelona
April 2026

Barcelona beat Espanyol 4-1 in the Catalan derby to move nine points clear at the top of La Liga. After the match, referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez received a mixed review, with criticism aimed more at his over-involvement than any major game-changing error. Barcelona won 4-1 with Ferran Torres scoring twice, while Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford added late goals. The referee issued nine yellow cards in a match that did not feature any major decisive controversy beyond a tight offside call on a disallowed goal.