BARCELONA, April 11 -- Lamine Yamal set up two goals and scored another as Barcelona took a significant step towards defending their La Liga title with a 4-1 derby win over Espanyol yesterday.

Ferran Torres netted twice with Yamal and Marcus Rashford finding the net late on as the Catalans moved nine points clear of second-placed rivals Real Madrid.

Real drew 1-1 against Girona on Friday and with seven games remaining, one of which is a Clasico at Camp Nou in May, Hansi Flick's side have a commanding lead.

Barca face Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League quarter-finals, aiming to fight back from a 2-0 first-leg defeat, but the coach still picked a strong side against Espanyol.

Midfielder Pedri Gonzalez and 18-year-old win...