Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points as Luuk de Jong strike salvages a point for Blaugrana | La Liga 2021-22
Barcelona were held to a 2-2 draw at the RCDE Stadium by Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday.
Pedri opened the scoring for Barcelona in the second minute. The 19-year-old slotted in from close range following some neat work by Jordi Alba. The visitors piled on the pressure, but it was Sergi Darder who restored parity in the Catalan derby. The 28-year-old curled a sublime finish past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen after some good work by Raul de Tomas in the box.
De Tomas then got on the scoresheet himself, bagging Espanyol's second of the night in the 64th minute. Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez had as many as five forwards on the pitch as the visitors sought an equaliser.
The pressure told as Luuk de Jong scored in stoppage time, heading in a cross from Adama Traore. That helped the Blaugrana salvage a share of the spoils in a game where both teams ended with ten men.
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On that note, here's a look at five talking points from the game:
#5 Adama Traore shines for Barcelona
Adama Traore was the most influential forward for Barcelona. The Spaniard was quite impressive on the flanks. He looked threatening every time he advanced high up the pitch. His physicality and acceleration caused all sorts of trouble for the hosts.
Traore won 13 duels, made three recoveries, completed four dribbles, made one clearance and created two chances for his side.
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He also set up De Jong for the last-gasp equaliser with an inch-perfect cross. Traore was one of the few positives for the Spanish giants on a tough night.
#4 Questionable substitutions by Xavi
Xavi made some puzzling decisions in the second half. Firstly, the Spaniard was late in making his substitutions.
Even when he decided to change things up, he kept Sergio Busquets and Ferran Torres on the pitch despite their struggles. Frenkie de Jong, who was having a decent game, was hauled off, and was replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Moreover, his decision to leave Ousmane Dembele out till the 72nd minute raised eyebrows. It was evident Barcelona needed to inject some pace, with Gavi not being able to hold the flank on his own.
It remains to be seen if it was a management-influenced decision or a tactical one. If it was the latter, it failed miserably, and almost cost Barcelona a point.