Cristian Pavon opened the scoring with gorgeous, 52nd-minute half volley, Sebastian Lletget bettered that with a late brace that included an acrobatic scissor volley and the LA Galaxy pulled away to a 3-0 victory over LAFC on Sunday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Pavon also picked up an assist on Lletget's first goal, and Emiliano Insua added his first assist as the Galaxy won their fourth in a row, a streak that began with their previous 2-0 victory over their El Trafico rivals at Banc of California Stadium on Aug. 22.
Just a minute after Pavon's goal, LAFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye was sent off for his crunching tackle in Julian Araujo directly in front of referee Allen Chapman. That, even more than Pavon's opener, changed the complextion of a match which LAFC dominated for the first 45 minutes, outshooting the Galaxy 14-1 before halftime.
Goals
- 52' - LA - Cristian Pavon | WATCH
- 73' - LA - Sebastian Lletget | WATCH
- 83' - LA - Sebastian Lletget | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: After missing nearly two months with a calf injury, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is expected to be available the Galaxy's next game, next Saturday, but it's fair to have reservations about how best to reintroduce him. Manager Guillermo Barros-Schelotto's men have earned 13 points from a possible 18 without Mexico's all-time leading international goal-scorer. With him, they've taken one point out of nine.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: For 82 minutes, we all thought it would be Cristian Pavon's opener. Then Sebastian Lletget did this:
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Cristian Pavon. Lletget had the brace, and deserved strong consideration, but Pavon is clearly the engine that drives this club. And right now it's running like a high-octane sports car.
Up Next
- LA: Sunday, Sept. 13 at San Jose Earthquakes (11 pm ET | UniMas, TUDN, Twitter, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- LAFC: Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Real Salt Lake (9:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and DAZN in Canada)
