Espanyol rise to fifth in Spanish League with victory over Rayo

Espanyol continued their superb start to the season with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano to climb up to fifth in La Liga on Sunday.

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Roberto Fernandez netted a first-half penalty for Manolo Gonzalez’s team at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella as they won a third straight league game.

Espanyol trail fourth-place Atletico Madrid by four points, having played one game fewer than Diego Simeone’s team.

Rayo midfielder Unai Lopez was sent off after the break for a second yellow card, and the hosts spurned several opportunities to expand their lead.

Veteran Espanyol striker Kike Garcia lobbed home inside the last 10 minutes but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Both teams finished the match with IO men after Espanyol’s English winger Tyrhys Dolan picked up a second yellow card in the final stages.

Later Sunday, second-placed Real Madrid host Celta Vigo, looking to cut down Barcelona's four point lead at the top of the table.

Hansi Flick’s reigning champions beat Real Betis 5-3 on Saturday in a thrilling clash in Seville to bolster their title defence hopes.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid crashed to a damaging 2-0 home defeat by Celta Vigo on Sunday, finishing the game with nine men after red cards for Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras.