Luis Suarez vowed Barcelona are ready to push Real Madrid all the way in the battle for the LaLiga title after his brace helped secure a 3-0 derby win at Espanyol.

The pressure was firmly back on Luis Enrique’s side in Saturday’s evening kick-off after Real had beaten Valencia 2-1 at the Bernabeu with a late goal from Marcelo.

However, Barcelona produced the required response against their city rivals as Suarez latched onto a stray backpass to break the deadlock early in the second half.

Midfielder Ivan Rakitic wrapped things up with 15 minutes left before Suarez added a third after more shambolic defending from the hosts.

Barcelona, who emerged victorious from El Clasico last weekend, moved back level on points with Real Madrid, but top the table on head-to-head record, although having played a match more than their title rivals.

“The intensity, desire and ambition have given us the three points,” Suarez told Barcelona’s official website.

“We knew it would be difficult, these kind of games are complicated because there is a lot of tension, but we were able to stay calm and then our goal gave us peace of mind.”

The Uruguay forward added: “We have to win games to keep pushing, and we will see what happens at the end.”

While Real will now prepare for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against rivals Atletico, Barcelona are not in action again until they host Villarreal next Saturday.

Provided by Press Association Sport