The decision to replace Diego Martinez with former Espanyol player Luis Garcia failed to have its desired effect in the 42-year-old’s first two games in charge, which both ended in defeat.
Garcia was hoping it would be third time lucky, and he nearly had an opening goal to celebrate when Nico Melamed audaciously tried to score directly from a corner kick.
Jeremias Ledesma was wise to the effort though, scrambling across his line to punch the ball away from danger.
Espanyol’s plight this season has been a result of a leaky backline that entered the contest with the third-worst defensive record in LaLiga.
Those vulnerabilities were on full display when Alfonso Espino’s low cross found Sergi Guardiola in acres of space in the Espanyol box, but to the home side’s relief, the Cadiz forward failed to connect with his initial effort before poking wide at the second time of asking.
With Espanyol desperate to claim all three points in their survival bid, they made a positive start to the second period.
Two dangerous crosses in quick succession from Sergi Darder caused havoc in the Cadiz box, with Joselu heading against the post from the first, before Ledesma reacted well to thwart Leandro Cabrera.
The Periquitos finally found a way past the Cadiz goalkeeper just after the hour mark, but Joselu’s left-footed strike was swiftly chalked off for an offside infringement.
As the contest entered the 80th minute, Joselu would have been ruing his luck when he struck the woodwork for a second time, guiding the ball against the crossbar after meeting Darder’s accurate cross.
Joselu’s fruitless evening was summed up in stoppage time when Ledesma pulled off a fine stop to ensure the spoils were shared. The point moves Cadiz up to 15th, while Espanyol remain stranded in the drop zone.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sergi Darder (Espanyol)
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