Dani Olmo scored twice, with Raphinha also netting as Barca went 3-0 ahead in the first-half. Javi Puedo scored for Espanyol after the break.
Gonzalez admits the first-half wasn't good enough.
What has the team been missing?
“We had to compete like we did in the second half. They were playing well, but they were also very successful. But if you don’t put pressure on them and let them turn easily, you can’t compete here. In the second half, we did. We scored one goal and had three disallowed . If you compete like you did in the second half, you can leave the field with your head held high, but in the first half you can’t.
“I'm annoyed. Losing against Barça is annoying . We have to go out and compete better in this match, like we did at the end. Winning a derby is the best and the only thing that matters to us . The result is not enough for us.
“We have to play against everyone. We were able to draw at the Metropolitano. We have to realise that either we give 120% or we don’t get it . We have to compete like this or we will suffer. We competed well for 45 minutes against a great rival. Everyone expected us to lose by 8 and we held our own at the end, but if we had competed the whole game, the match would have been different. We have to realise that, because this is the way forward, to compete like in the second half.”
Good reaction from the team at half-time:
“We are Espanyol and we cannot go out looking ridiculous. Being called from the Segunda Division here really p***es me off . If you have to lose, you lose, but there are ways to do it and that is how we did it in the second half. The team was able to get back into the game and in that respect I am proud of the lads. We competed until the end. We have to keep working.”
Compete and win games now:
“The team is not letting go and is competing well. We have had a very demanding schedule, but we must start winning. We must stop making excuses and win. And, when we can't, we must draw. We must not lose the points."