Espanyol 2-1 Real Madrid: Three Things We Learned

Espanyol have long since been seen as the less-impressive younger brother in Barcelona but over the weekend, in two Barca vs Madrid encounters, they were the ones who lived up to the hype for their beloved city with a 2-1 win over league leaders Real Madrid. Atletico managed to secure a nice victory over Barcelona and while many expected Espanyol to fall victim to a similar fate, they used the buzz of the crowd to their advantage in what proved to be a really impressive night at the office.

Worry creeping in for Ancelotti?

The loss to Sheriff in the Champions League was as embarrassing as it comes for a club of Real Madrid’s stature and we all know that to be true. Still, they would’ve hoped that their strong league form up to this point would help them to success against Espanyol, but it wasn’t to be. They just seemed to be lacking in confidence and now that it’s beginning to set in, we think they could start to crumble under Carlo Ancelotti – a man who rarely seems to have a plan B in his back pocket when things are going south.

Espanyol show some fight

The credit here really does need to go to Espanyol for their resolve and determination in pushing back against Real Madrid in the face of adversity. They came into this game expecting to cause an upset and you could feel it from the way they were playing. They came flying out of the blocks and took a deserved lead before doubling it in the second half, and while things did start to look a bit hairy once Real had worked their way back into the game, the hosts held their nerve and produced what can only be described as a famous win.

Unpredictable La Liga season ahead

Nobody knows which way the La Liga pendulum is going to swing from one week to the next but based on the league table after seven games, we can say this: it’s going to be a whole lot of fun to watch. There are just four points separating the top seven with Real and Atletico being joined by surprise contenders such as Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano – with Barcelona not even being able to get started yet.

The Spanish top tier is more exciting than it has been in a long time and that should lead to quite the campaign.