MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona kept up the pressure on La Liga title rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid when Lionel Messi struck from the penalty spot in a 1-0 win at Espanyol in Saturday's Catalan derby.
The laboured victory at Espanyol's Cornella-El Prat stadium lifted the champions, who are chasing a fifth domestic league triumph in six years, above Atletico into first place on 75 points from 31 of 38 matches.
