Espanyol ease relegation worries with league win over Athletic Bilbao

Goals from Pape Diop and substitute Felipe Caicedo saw Espanyol come from behind to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 and move seven points clear of the Primera Division relegation zone.Javier Eraso had given the Basques the lead after 20 minutes by following up his shot on the rebound after Pau Lopez had parried.Ernesto Valverde's Athletic side went into the game on a high after seeing off Valencia on away goals to seal their passage to the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday, and Eraso's goal followed an early period of domination.It looked set to put them on their way to a fifth consecutive league win that would have consolidated their place in the top six.Yet Espanyol improved after conceding and Gerard Moreno and Marco Asensio both missed good chances to draw them level before the break.Constantin Galca's side continued to put the visitors under pressure in the second half and after three more spurned chances they got the equaliser they deserved in the 54th minute, Diop rising to meet a corner and heading home.They took the lead for the first time in the game just three minutes later. Moreno raced forward on the counter and spotted Caicedo on the edge of the area, the Ecuadorian controlling the ball and beating a defender before lashing into the net, making his mark on the game just four minutes after coming off the bench to replace Asensio.