Wu Lei came on for Espanyol with five minutes remaining, but the visitors' best chances all fell to the impressive Raul de Tomas, who drew a decent save from Ter Stegen in the 89th minute.

By them, it was too late, and Espanyol remain with a paltry 24 points from 35 games, while Barca's slim title hopes remain intact.

Wednesday's two other matches saw Villarreal take a big step closer to Europe with a 3-1 win away to Getafe, thanks to two Santi Cazorla penalties and a Ruben Pena goal. Hugo Perales netted for Getafe and Villarreal's Vicente Iborra, and Getafe's Allan Nyon were both sent off for an altercation after the final whistle.

Betis also beat Osasuna 3-0 in the Benito Villamarin Stadium with goals from Guido Rodriguez, Alfonso and Carles Alena.