Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points thanks to late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski against Espanyol.
Hansi Flick’s side struggled to break the hosts down for much of the match, but the breakthrough came four minutes from the end.
Substitute Fermin Lopez played a key role, first slipping Olmo in to curl a brilliant effort into the top corner, then creating another opening from the right for Lewandowski to tap home in the 90th minute.
The win underlined Barcelona’s late-game strength, with 12 of their league goals this season arriving in the final 15 minutes of the second half — more than any other side.
Espanyol began the Catalan derby brightly, with former Blackburn Rovers attacker Tyrhys Dolan seeing an early effort blocked.
At the other end, visiting goalkeeper Joan Garcia proved decisive against his former club, producing a series of important saves.
His replacement, Marko Dmitrovic, also played his part, denying Eric Garcia from close range in the 72nd minute as a draw seemed increasingly likely.
However, Barcelona’s sustained pressure eventually told, keeping them clear at the summit.
Real Madrid, currently second, can cut the gap to four points with a home win over Real Betis on Sunday (15:15 GMT). Espanyol, who have not beaten Barcelona in the league since 2009, stay fifth.
