Robert Lewandowski Barcelona 2022-23

Barcelona player ratings vs Espanyol: Robert Lewandowski does the business as Xavi's flying full-backs run riot to seal La Liga title

Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde ran riot as Barcelona clinched a thoroughly-deserved Liga title. This was the Blaugrana at their very best, with the numerous attacking options working seamlessly en route to a 4-2 win over their local rivals.

Balde was at the centre of Barcelona's opener. The left-back darted down the wing before setting up Lewandowski in stride, for the Poland striker's 20th league goal of the season. And after assisting the first, Balde scored the second, latching onto Pedri's chip to the far post with a tidy finish.

Lewandowski was back at it for the third, this time turning in a Raphinha cross to establish an unassailable lead at half-time. The second half, though, wasn't quite as comfortable, despite Jules Kounde adding a fourth for the visitors, and Espanyol enjoyed a period of sustained pressure as they grabbed a much-deserved late pair of goals.

Still, Barcelona have had La Liga wrapped up for some time now, relying on a series of tight games and defensive showings to grind out results. Here, though, it was free-flowing, eye-catching, and delightfully simple for long periods. And with a promising, ever-improving squad, this could be Xavi's football of the future.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the RCDE Stadium...

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