Barcelona emerge La Liga champions following derby victory

Barcelona have won the 2022-23 La Liga title after a 4-2 away victory against city rivals Espanyol on Sunday night.

It is the Catalans’ first La Liga title since 2018-19 and they’ve claimed it in style – with four games to spare.

Barcelona have won 27 out of 34 La Liga games this season (Image: @goal)

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Barca raced quickly to an emphatic 3-0 lead by half-time. Robert Lewandowski scored the opener, netting his 20th league goal of the campaign before 19-year-old Alejandro Balde doubled the advantage.

Lewandowski scored his second of the night and Barcelona’s third before French defender Jules Kounde headed in Barca’s fourth.

Espanyol scored goals of their own through Javier Puado and Joselu. However, the club remain close to the bottom of the table.

The home team on the night are seriously in danger of being relegated for the second time in four seasons.

Unfortunately for them, they have suffered nine league defeats in 11 games. They are also four points from safety with four matches of the season to go. Espanyol need to give everything to avoid the drop.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have accrued 85 points, a whopping 14 more than bitter rivals Real Madrid. Interestingly, 12 points are still left to play for.

Robert Lewandowski has been a key part of Barcelona’s La Liga title-winning team this season. He’s netted 21 goals for the Catalans, the most in the league (Image: Twitter)

First La Liga title for Barcelona since Messi’s departure

Barcelona have been lambasted by detractors and critics for being toothless and less threatening without club legend Lionel Messi.

This title victory is their first since Messi left in August 2021. It is also a reward for the selfless service of another club legend and current coach, Xavi Hernandez.

Xavi was appointed manager of Barcelona in November 2021 and his first season was not as impressive as many expected.

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Barcelona’s hierarchy kept faith in the 43-year-old despite calls for his sack. Their trust in him has paid off as Barcelona dominated most of the league games this season.

The defensive record of the Catalans has been an instrumental part of this successful league campaign. The offensive play have been well managed despite injuries to key players at different times during the season.

This is all due to the tactical ability and technical prowess of Xavi who has duly delivered in his first full season.

Barcelona’s title celebrations were cut short as Espanyol fans launched objects and invaded the pitch (Image: @brfootball)

Barca trailed Real Madrid by three points following a 3-1 away loss to them on 16 October. The Blaugrana were also eliminated from the Champions League after three losses from their six group matches.

But Barcelona fans will be more than delighted to witness yet another Spanish La Liga title win.