"Best club in the world", "Greater than everything Madrid will do this season" - Twitter erupts as Barcelona are crowned La Liga champions

Barcelona sealed their first league title in four years by beating Espanyol 4-2 at Estadi Cornella-El Prat on Sunday (May 14).

The Blaugrana headed into the clash with the Periquitos knowing that victory would see them being crowned champions. Xavi's side romped to a win in style with a ruthless first-half performance.

It took just 11 minutes for Robert Lewandowski to fire Barcelona into the lead. The Polish frontman was on hand to place home from close range. Alejandro Balde's cross took a deflection before falling to the striker who made no mistake.

Espanyol nearly hit back two minutes later through Joselu when former Barca striker Martin Braithwaite's cross met the Spanish attacker. However, Ronald Araujo was on hand to scramble the ball away to safety.

Balde then doubled the Blaugrana's lead in the 20th minute with a fierce close-range volley. The visiting fans were in hysteria, as their four years of waiting for league glory was coming to an end.

Lewandowski was denied by Periquitos goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco in the 24th minute. He did well to turn the Pole's low effort away, while Raphinha nearly slid in at the back post.

The Barcelona frontman then put the ribbons on the La Liga title when he bagged his 31st goal of the season across competitions. Lewandowski struck in the 40th minute after fine work from Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong. The midfield duo worked the ball to Raphinha who found the Pole to bury the ball home.

It was much of the same in the second half, with Barca being dominant. Jules Kounde got in on the act in the 53rd minute with a superb header. The Frenchman met De Jong's sensational cross to give his side a 4-0 lead.

Espanyol did hit back through Javi Puado in the 73rd minute, but it was mere consolation. The Spanish forward scored perhaps the best goal of the night when he chipped Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Joselu then added another in the 90+2nd minute for Luis Garcia's side, but Barca were already out of sight by then. It was a comfortable victory for Xavi's men who sealed the title with four games left to play. They also relegated their rivals Espanyol in the process.

One fan was thrilled with the win and took a shot at last season's champions Real Madrid:

Here's how Twitter reacted to the Blaugrana winning their first league title since 2019:

Barcelona legend Gerard Pique will join club's trophy parade

Barcelona legend Gerard Pique will be part of the celebrations that ensue in Catalonia once the season concludes. Blaugrana boss Xavi confirmed so ahead of his side's clash with Espanyol:

Pique brought an end to his illustrious career in November. He won the La Liga title eight times before the Blaugrana sealed their latest triumph against Espanyol. The Spaniard made six appearances in the league this season.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

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A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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