Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has paid tribute to his team following Saturday's 3-0 win at Espanyol, which moved the Spanish champions back to the top of La Liga.

Barcelona struggled in the opening 45 minutes of the Catalan derby, but a second-half brace from Luis Suarez and a strike from Ivan Rakitic ensured that Enrique's side would collect all the points.

The Spaniard has admitted that his players found it difficult in the first period, but was pleased to eventually "wear Espanyol down" after the half-time break.

"Maybe the first half wasn't as effective or spectacular as we'd have liked, but we managed to wear Espanyol down," Enrique told reporters.

"We knew we had to play at a very high pace because they rotated hardly any players and we rested many players. Our high rhythm forced them to make mistakes in the second half."

Next up for title-chasing Barcelona is a home game against Villarreal next weekend.