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Barcelona returned to winning ways in the La Liga with a win over Las Palmas courtesy of Luis Suarez'’s brace. While there is no argument that he was by far the most influential player in the game, the Catalans were dealt a huge blow when Lionel Messi had to be rushed to the hospital after incurring a knee injury.
Las Palmas came to the Camp Nou on a high after a brilliant display against Sevilla in a match they won 2-0. Their player Jonathan Vierra though tested the Barcelona defense on several occasions and ended up scoring one past Ter Stegen before the final whistle.
This result means that Barcelona have jumped ahead of their rivals Real Madrid in the table and have 15 points from six games. Barcelona will now have to come up with a strategy to fill the gap left by Messi, as the Argentine is reported to be out for at least two months.
Here are the player ratings for the Catalan giants from the match against Las Palmas at the Camp Nou:
Barcelona
Ter Stegen – 6/10
The German goalkeeper did not have to make too many saves in the match but was alert when called into action. While he managed to stop a few shots, he lost his clean sheet after Las Palmas forward Jonathan Vierra sent one past him in the dying minutes of the match.
Marc Bartra – 7/10
The Barcelona defender did well alongside Pique at the heart of the defense and stopped the opposition from creating too many chances. The 24-year-old though could have done better, as he was caught off guard on a few occasions when he lost concentration and allowed players to go past him.
Gerrard Pique – 7/10
After a disappointing performance in the 4-1 loss to Celta Vigo during the week, Pique did well to put that behind him. He prevented the opposition from getting into threatening positions on several occasions and snuffed out the danger immediately. He was helpless for the goal Barcelona conceded.
Adriano Correia – 6/10
The left-back was quite isolated for most of the game and didn't see too much of the ball. He completed his defensive duties effectively but could have contributed more in attack.
Sergi Roberto – 8/10
Roberto was another one whose performance improved from the previous match and was able to make an impact in the first half of the game after sending a sublime cross towards Suarez which lead to his team’s first goal. While he is not a natural right-back, he fit into the position effortlessly helping the team both in attack as well as in defence.
Javier Mascherano – 6/10
He passed the ball pretty well for most parts of the game but ended up giving the ball away to Jonathan Vierra in the 88th minute which cost his team a clean sheet. His best moment of the game came when he almost scored a screamer from 25-yards out but apart from that, he did a good job in the midfield breaking down attacks and kept the opposition quiet.
Ivan Rakitic – 6.5/10
Rakitic enjoyed a good first half and almost capped it off with a goal. However, during the course of the game he began to fade away.
Sergio Busquets – 7/10
The Spaniard had a strong presence in the midfield and did not give the opposition many openings to exploit. He cut off the supply lines for Las Palmas and was integral in starting attacks for the Catalans. He too was ineffective towards the end of the match.
Neymar – 4/10
The Brazilian had one of his worst games in the Barcelona shirt against the Canary Islands side. Not only did he squander a penalty, he never really got involved in the match. He did have a few good dribbles but never really got into the right positions to have a lasting impact on the match.
Luis Suarez – 9/10
The 28-year old striker was the most influential player in the game. He split the opposition defense open on several occasions and helped his team to a victory after scoring two goals for his team.
Lionel Messi – N/A
The player had to be subbed off very early in the game after suffering a knee injury, which was later confirmed as a tear in his medial collateral ligament. Munir El Haddadi took his place on the field on the right wing.
Substitutes
Munir El Haddadi – 6/10
The youngster was brought into the game for Messi early on in the game but was not able to contribute as much as the Argentine magician. He did, however, set up Luis Suarez’s second goal in the 54th minute. The substitute was substituted in the 80th minute and was replaced by Sandro Ramirez.
Sandro Ramirez – N/A
Not enough time to influence the match.
Gerard Gumbau – N/A
Not enough time to influence the match.
