Barcelona 2 - Espanyol 0

Barcelona: Víctor Valdés; Puyol, De Boer, Fernando Navarro; Mendieta, Xavi (Gabri 76'), Cocu, Motta (Riquelme 46'); Saviola (Geovanni 88'), Luis Enrique; Kluivert. 3-4-2-1.
Espanyol: Argensó; Navas, Lopo, Domoraud, Amaya; Morales, Fredson; Maxi (Milosevic 70'), De la Peña (Velamazán 62'), Luque; Tamudo (Boghossian 80'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Barcelona: No change / Espanyol: Lopo, Fredson, Luque, De la Peña for Soldevilla, Alex Fernández, Roger, Milosevic.

Goals:
1-0. 58. Kluivert. Diving header on far post from Luis Enrique floated cross.
2-0. 71. Luis Enrique. Headed Fernando Navarro cross down past keeper.

Barcelona moved provisionally to the top of the table pending Sunday's results after beating city rivals Espanyol 2-0. It has been 20 years since the Budgies have won at the Nou Camp, and they turned up in disarray having lost their first three games in league and cup despite a summer of big spending. One of their late signings, ex Barcelona midfielder Iván De la Peña was making his debut in a side which showed four changes, Juande Ramos returning to his tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation after trying out with twin strikers up front in the last game.

The first few moments were for the visitors, and Luque felt he should have had a penalty when he clashed with Víctor Valdés. However Argensó was called on to save from Saviola two or three times as Barcelona broke through, and the visiting keeper kept the scores level at half time with a top class stop from a Kluivert flying header. A few minutes earlier De la Peña had tested Víctor with a free kick, Espanyol's best chance of the first 45 minutes.

Van Gaal brought on Riquelme at the break, and Argensó produced a finger-tip save from his free kick soon afterwards. Kluivert had been trying hard to get his first goal of the season, and it came eventually when Luis Enrique floated over a long cross from the left wing, the Dutch striker drifting away from his markers to head home on the far post.

A quarter of an hour later Luis Enrique pushed the ball out to Fernando Navarro on the wing and moved into the box to meet the return pass and send his header wide of Argensó. It was the club captain's fourth league goal of the season, and his 99th career goal with the club. Espanyol had no reply, and they ended the day at the bottom of the table. Sometimes the chequebook is not the answer.