Eibar emerge victorious at RCDE Stadium in 1-0 win that mathematically secures safety
Lombán's headed effort just after the half-hour mark was enough to see Eibar return to winning ways
Eibar edged past Espanyol in Matchday 33 of the LaLiga campaign in what was a tight affair that was short on goalscoring chances as the Armeros got back to winning ways following a six-game winless streak. Victory was secured through David Lombán's header from a Pedro León flag kick.
José Luis Mendilibar's men made the stronger start and soon began to dominate possession as they mounted their first forward forays. Eibar camped themselves in the hosts' half and although they gradually started to make inroads into Los Pericos' area, they failed to carve out any clear-cut openings.
Shortly after the 30-minute mark, a Pedro León strike from the edge of the area was palmed behind. The Murcia-born midfielder took the resulting corner, which was nodded home by Lombán to put Eibar into the ascendancy. This goal was the Asturian defender's first in Eibar colours.
After the restart, the home side worked their way back into the game and were now posing a threat on Marko Dmitrović's goal. With the second period in its infancy, Dmitrović had to be alert to prevent Espanyol from levelling terms. Just minutes later, the home side fashioned two gilt-edged chances that fell to Carlos Sánchez and Gerard Moreno, with both failing to hit the target.
Eibar managed to weather the storm as Espanyol made a bright start to the second half and the visitors responded through an on-song Iván Alejo, who came close to doubling his side's lead in the 62nd minute. Espanyol poured forward in search of an equaliser in the closing stages and Dmitrović was frequently called into action. The Serbian shotstopper pulled off four saves to secure a win that the players were desperate to achieve and for which they had to fight right until the final whistle.