Espanyol top Getafe 1-0

London : Espanyol claimed their first win for three games as Gerard Moreno’s close-range finish gave them a 1-0 win over Getafe in LaLiga.

The home side started brightly and almost opened the scoring after six minutes when left-back Aaron Martin was allowed to surge forward and unleash a stinging drive which goalkeeper Vicente Guaita acrobatically tipped over the crossbar. Four minutes later Mario Hermoso’s looping header from Pablo Piatti’s free-kick came back off the frame of the goal, but it was Getafe who created - and squandered - the best chance of the first half.

Angel won possession on the halfway line and drove into the box before setting up Jorge Molina for what looked certain to be a simple finish.

However, Molina delayed for too long as he turned back on to his left foot and a combination of goalkeeper Pau Lopez and defender David Lopez diverted his shot to safety.

The visitors were made to pay for that missed opportunity when Moreno scored the only goal of the game 10 minutes into the second half, the striker getting the faintest of touches to Piatti’s far-post free-kick.