This had been Wu Lei at his scintillating best, one of those sparkling displays where defenders seem don't have the slightest idea of how to suppress his attacking threat, his movement in the final third so composed and intelligent that he constantly split open the gap between Celta's midfield and defense.

A sumptuous finish from Wu put Espanyol in front after the hour mark and though Rubi's side conceded a second-half goal to Maxi Gomez to be denied all three points on Wednesday night, the draw extended their unbeaten run to five matches and left them nine points away from the relegation zone.

Espanyol had made an energetic start to the match. The 27-year-old Wu, who has been restored to the starting lineup after sitting on the bench last weekend, scuttled at pace on the right flank, clipping a neat reverse pass into the area in the opening minutes and creating the first scoring chance of the game. But Borja Iglesia sent a warning shot narrowly wide.

Two minutes later, Wu ran the show again as he darted into the box and was picked out by a deft delivery from Didac Vila. Space opened up, and he poked the ball towards the far post, but it went agonizingly wide.

As the spark for the purple patch that saw Espanyol take control of this hard-contested tie, the imperious Wu finally found the breakthrough. Following a brilliant passing move involving four Espanyol players, Wu beat the offside trap and latched onto a perfect pass from Marc Roca to volley home his first goal in 54 days. He had not found the net since March 2, when he notched his maiden La Liga screamer against Real Valladolid.

Brimming with confidence, the former Chinese Super League golden boot winner almost cut Celta open again before the break as Espanyol had a good shout for a penalty when Wu appeared to be shoved to the floor in the box.  But referee Undiano Mellenco had other ideas and refused to give a spot kick despite a VAR review.

At that stage, it seemed Celta were in for a torturous night, yet they clawed their way back into the game after the interval. Fran Escriba's side began playing with more energy and authority, with Iago Aspas patiently probing the defense and twice hitting the woodwork.

Celta's domination eventually told as Gomez canceled out Espanyol's lead with a clinical strike. But there is no doubt that the night belonged to the flawless Wu.