A run of three games without a victory is a crisis at Real Madrid, and a slow start did very little to relieve the tension in the Spanish capital, as Los Blancos fell behind inside the opening eight minutes.
Ruben Sanchez expertly controlled a long ball and surged away from makeshift left-back Eduardo Camavinga, before squaring to leading marksman Joselu, who rifled into the top corner emphatically.
A product of the Real academy, the Spaniard became the first Espanyol player to score at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu since May 2014.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men had started incredibly poorly by their standards, but seemed awakened after nearly falling two behind, relying on Thibaut Courtois to keep out Vinicius Souza’s close-range header.
The hosts would then finally flick the switch with their own Vinicius Junior, who cut in from the left and evaded three defenders before expertly slotting into the bottom corner.
The reigning champions kept up the pressure and forced Espanyol deep into their own half, but it was a set-piece that eventually breached their rearguard and sent Real in at the break ahead.
Picking up a wayward Toni Kroos cross, Aurelien Tchouameni produced a glorious outside of the boot cross, and in a show of flair reminiscent of Luka Modric, he found Eder Militao at the back post to nod home from close range.
Having scored just once in their last three games, Real continued to struggle in front of goal with their exploits limited to efforts from range.
Kroos fired over the bar, before Rodrygo’s free-kick cannoned off it, but Real comfortably kept Espanyol at bay until the closing stages, when the visitors’ pressure intensified.
Even so, Courtois remained relatively untroubled as Los Blancos held on for a precious three points – a result that was rubber stamped by a stoppage time strike from Marco Asensio inside the box after being teed up by Dani Ceballos.
A first league win in three keeps Real in touch with Barcelona at the summit, while Espanyol remain just two points clear of the drop zone after losing consecutive away games in La Liga for the first time this season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eder Militao (Real Madrid)
