Barcelona's LaLiga title celebrations were cut short when Espanyol fans stormed the pitch and charged at them, forcing them to retreat to the safety of the dressing room.
The Blaugrana's players were hand in hand dancing around together in the centre-circle, relishing winning the LaLiga title at the home of their local rivals before things turned ugly. A number of Espanyol fans managed to make their way on to the pitch and began to ran at the Barcelona squad.
In response, the players immediately made a dash for the safety of the dressing room and videos show that each member of the Barcelona squad managed to get inside in time before being confronted by furious fans. The actual performance was a stellar one from Xavi's side, with Barcelona running out 4-2 winners courtesy of a brace from Robert Lewandowski either side of Alejandro Balde's effort and Jules Kounde's goal before the hour mark.
Addressing the post-match carnage, Xavi told Movistar: "In the end the celebration is normal, but there comes a point when we are not at home. It was respectful to leave".
As for the win itself, it put Barcelona 14 points clear of arch enemies Real Madrid with only four games to go, an unassailable lead. It's the first time that Barca have won the LaLiga title since 2019, back when Lionel Messi was still pulling the strings and Xavi retired from playing.
Now Xavi is in the Camp Nou dugout and secured the second trophy of his first full season at the helm. Barca beat Real Madrid out in Saudi Arabia in January to claim the Spanish Super Cup.
Have your say! Will Barcelona begin another dynasty from here? Join the debate in the comments section.
"The team has done a great job and the club has done a great job in order for us to have a high-class team," Xavi also said. "It's been a great season, the Super League and La Liga with four rounds ago. I'm happy for the club, the president and the fans. This is the reward for all the work during the season."
Club presdent Joan Laporta added: "It has been a Sunday of joy for all the fans to celebrate. I hope it is the first of many titles. We have saved the club financially and we have brought joy back to Barcelona. And now we are starting to win important titles, which we hope will be the start of a splendid era."
Laporta went on to say: "Xavi has worked hard to offer quality football. He deserves congratulations. We have a great coach, a great staff. We are very happy that this continues. I always thought we were on the right track but I never took it for granted because there are always those who can surprise you. We wanted to win the league as soon as possible. We played a good game in Cornella which gave us the title."
