La Liga leaders Barcelona secured a narrow victory over relegation-threatened Las Palmas at the Estadio Gran Canaria to extend their lead on top of the La Liga. The minnows put up a spirited fight as they pushed Barcelona right till the final whistle. Suarez and Neymar scored the goals for Barcelona while Willian Jose scored one for Las Palmas.
That win meant Barcelona are now 32 games unbeaten in all competitions.
The visitors really missed the presence of Sergio Busquets in midfield with the trio of Iniesta, Turan and Sergi Roberto struggling to maintain a hold of things in the first half.
We observe each Barcelona player’s performance during the game and assign them a rating on a scale of 1-10:
Claudio Bravo – 8
The Chilean goal keeper was quick of the goal line to collect some dangerous through balls, however, even though Las Palmas threatened to score, he only had a few saves to make throughout the game.
Daniel Alves – 6.5
The right back had a mixed game. He curled in some delightful crosses but was frequently troubled by the Las Palmas duo of Viera and Jose. He even had a yellow card in the game but all in all, he defended pretty solidly at the crucial moments.
Jeremy Mathieu – 7.5
The Frenchman made some crucial headed clearances in the penalty area. However, he was also frequently hassled by the Las Palmas attackers and had to be on his toes constantly throughout the game.
Jordi Alba – 7.5
He made a wonderful assist for Suarez’s opening goal sending in a low cross from the left-hand side for Suarez to tap in. However, he was also pretty poor defensively on some occasions giivng the ball away in dangerous areas.
Javier Mascherano – 7
The Argentine had a decent game, as he settled in well at the heart of the defence being calm and composed at most times. He moved into midfield in the second half when Vermaelen came on.
Sergi Roberto – 6.5
The Barcelona youngster made some few searching passes in the first half but was wanting in his defensive duties against the Las Palmas midfield. He was substituted in the second half by Luis Enrique
Arda Turan – 5
The Turkish international had a game to forget as he tried hard but was not too effective. Substituted only after 45 minutes, Turan struggled to create anything of note and even had a yellow card for a silly foul in the first half.
Andres Iniesta – 7.5
The captain of Barcelona made some really good passes in the first half also troubling the Las Palmas goalkeeper Vargas from distance a couple of times. However, his influence waned as the game went on though he was neat and tidy with his passes whenever he got on the ball.
Lionel Messi – 6
A very quiet game for the Argentine magician as he barely got on the ball and created anything of note in the game. His saved shot fell into the path of Neymar who scored the second goal. This performance however, was not up to his usual high standards.
Neymar – 8.5
The Brazilian was full of running and made some eye-catching dribbles and mazy runs. He scored what eventually turned out to be the winner and tried hard throughout the match.
Luis Suarez – 8.5
Full of running and endeavour throughout the game, Luis Suarez was a constant problem for the hosts. He scored the opening goal and got into some very good positions as well. However, he did miss some gilt-edged opportunities to put the game to bed. All in all, another display by the Uruguayan where he gave his 100%.
Substitutes
Ivan Rakitic – 7
Introduced as a replacement for Turan, the Croatian was calm and collected in midfield playing a couple of really incisive passes.
Thomas Vermaelen – 7.5
Played the last 15 minutes of the game, but he had a crucial contribution to make as his diving header prevented Las Palmas from equalising in the final few minutes.
