Barcelona 4-1 Espanyol: Lionel Messi Inspires Barcelona To Easy Cup Win Over Espanyol

Lionel Messi scored twice and set up two more to lead Barcelona to victory over crosstown rivals Espanyol, who finished a hot-tempered Copa del Rey first leg with nine men.

Felipe Caicedo gave Espanyol, who held Barcelona to a goalless draw in La Liga on Saturday, a ninth-minute lead at the Camp Nou but Messi hit back four minutes later. He put Barça ahead with a free-kick just before half-time and set up Gerard Piqué to make it 3-1 soon after the interval.

Messi set up Neymar for the fourth goal after Espanyol’s Hernán Pérez and Papakouly Diop had been sent off, and Caicedo and Marco Asensio went off injured.

Arda Turan, who joined from Atlético Madrid in the summer but has only just been registered due to the Spanish champions’ transfer ban, made his first start for Barça, while Aleix Vidal, who moved from Sevilla in June, also made his first appearance when he came off the bench.

Watch full Match Highlight Below;