Elche were reduced to 10 men as early as the sixth minute when Federico Redondo was sent off following a VAR review, but the visitors responded impressively and punished Espanyol with three goals.
• Espanyol: Víctor Chust 72' (own goal)
• Elche: Fer Niño 26', 29', Germán Valera 78'
Redondo's dismissal appeared to give Espanyol a major advantage, but Elche remained dangerous on the counter and took the lead in the 26th minute.
Fer Niño broke the deadlock after being played through by Roy Revivo, finishing to put Elche ahead despite their numerical disadvantage.
Just three minutes later, Niño struck again. Revivo once more provided the assist as the Elche forward doubled the visitors' advantage with his second goal of the night.
Espanyol dominated possession and created more opportunities after falling two goals behind, but they struggled to turn their pressure into clear-cut chances.
The hosts eventually found a way back into the contest in the 72nd minute when Víctor Chust turned the ball into his own net, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
However, Espanyol's hopes of completing a comeback were ended six minutes later.
Germán Valera produced a composed finish in the 78th minute, with Tete Morente providing the assist, to restore Elche's two-goal advantage and seal a memorable away victory.
Elche finally claim first league victory
The result marked Elche's first victory of the 2026/27 LaLiga campaign, taking them to five points after seven matches. Espanyol, meanwhile, remained on seven points following their second defeat of the league season.
The result was particularly notable given that Elche played with 10 men from the sixth minute. Rather than simply defending their lead, the visitors remained clinical in attack and scored three times against an Espanyol side that had the numerical advantage for almost the entire contest.
The defeat also ended Espanyol's latest home fixture before the international break, while Elche head into the break with renewed confidence after finally securing their first three points of the campaign.