Hector Moreno struck 11 minutes from time to earn 10-man Espanyol a 1-0 win over Granada at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat tonight.
The hosts survived the 30th-minute dismissal of Victor Alvarez to secure a victory which lifts them to eighth in the La Liga table.
Javier Aguirre's side were beginning to dominate their opponents, who were two points below them prior to kickoff, before Alvarez was sent off in the first half for a late challenge on Youssef El-Arabi.
Granada's top goalscorer, who has found the net eight times this campaign, nearly inflicted a double blow on Espanyol as his powerful drive forced Francisco Casilla into a smart save five minutes after the red card.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Espanyol continued to be a threat, with Sergio Garcia often the architect of their chances. His precise through-ball led to Christian Stuani testing Roberto with a stinging strike.
Granada's Egyptian striker El-Arabi is always a danger himself, though, and he came within inches of breaking the deadlock on the hour mark when he crashed a shot from close range against the crossbar.
The visitors had enjoyed 62% of possession until the 79th minute, which was when Moreno headed Espanyol ahead. It was Garcia's inviting set-piece delivery which allowed the Mexican defender to glance the ball into the top corner from eight yards for his first goal of the campaign.
With the result, Espanyol climb above Valencia and Levante in the table, while Granada remain 14th.
Joe Fish
