"Xavi Out", "Make Barça great again" - Barcelona fans want Xavi sacked after 1-1 draw with Espanyol

Barcelona fans are furious with Xavi after the side slipped to a 1-1 draw with Espanyol on Saturday (December 31).

Xavi's men took the lead early on in the seventh minute when former Chelsea teammates Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen linked up. Christensen's free header sailed to the back post in Alonso's path, and the Spaniard headed home his first goal for the Blaugrana.

Barca carved out plenty of big chances in the first half, and Alonso should have grabbed a brace in the 18th minute. A corner was overhit, but Jordi Alba managed to keep the ball alive, sending a cross toward Alonso. The Spanish defender made a poor connection and the ball was sent wide.

Robert Lewandowski, who played despite being handed a red card in Barca's previous game, went close in the 56th minute. The veteran striker attempted a header that went wide of the bottom right corner of Espanyol goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez.

Barcelona rued their missed chances in the 71st minute when Alonso turned from hero to villain, clipping Joselu's heels in his own box. Joselu stepped up and took the penalty, and rolled it down the middle after Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen dived to his right. Matters got worse for the Blaugrana in the 78th minute when Alba was sent off for a second bookable offence.

The much-criticised Antonio Mateu Lahoz was the referee for the clash between the two sides. The Spanish official did himself no favours after his nightmare display in Argentina's FIFA World Cup quarterfinal win over the Netherlands. He also sent off Espanyol's Vinicius Souza in the 80th minute as the game spiralled out of his control.

Leandro Cabrera was also given his marching orders, but VAR intervened and overturned the original decision.

Fernandez made a brilliant double save in the 87th minute to deny Christensen with an acrobatic save. He then prevented Lewandowski from scoring by making himself big. The Pole spurned another golden opportunity in the dying embers as Barcelona settled on a 1-1 draw in a tense affair.

The draw takes Barcelona to 38 points, levelling Real Madrid atop La Liga, boasting a superior seven-goal goal difference. However, fans are enraged with Xavi's management and Lahoz's officiating.

Here are some reactions from supporters on Twitter:

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Espanyol enraged by Robert Lewandowski being allowed to play for Barcelona

Lewandowski was hit with a three-game ban after receiving a red card in 2-1 win over Osasuna in October.

However, the Polish striker was allowed to face Espanyol, as his ban has been temporarily suspended. Espanyol, though, were unhappy with the developments that allowed the prolific frontman to play in the game.

A statement from the club read:

“Espanyol find it unusual that, 24 hours before the game against Barcelona, and after seeing appeals turned down by three different bodies, Robert Lewandowski’s ban has been temporarily suspended."

The Pole was also set to miss Barca’s upcoming games against Atletico Madrid and Getafe. However, the club doesn’t know whether he will be available or not for those fixtures.