Olmo 8.5, Yamal 8.5 | Las Palmas 0-2 Barcelona: Player ratings | OneFootball

Barcelona took the lead in La Liga with a hard-fought and tight win over Rayo Vallecano last weekend.

They experienced an equally challenging and worthy opponent last night in Las Palmas as they took to the field at Gran Canaria.

Las Palmas, who beat Barcelona earlier this season, frustrated Hansi Flick’s side for the better part of the night and even played neck-to-neck against them for close to an hour.

After a goalless first half, it was only substitute Dani Olmo who would open the scoring against the opponents’ low block to give Barcelona the lead that they eventually held on to.

Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Las Palmas 0-2 Barcelona.

Wojciech Szczesny: 7

The goalkeeper had a rather busy night, especially with the Catalans being beaten on the counter regularly in the first half.

Came up with two vital saves in just 45 minutes including one from inside the box to keep Barcelona in the game.

Alejandro Balde: 7.5

Balde constantly looked to push forward in attack with his pace and often left spaces behind him for Las Palmas to capitalise on.

However, he did well to recover out of possession and make up for the spaces left in defence.

Eric Garcia: 7

Eric Garcia is moving up Hansi Flick’s pecking order. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

The Spaniard was given a start in the place of Inigo Martinez on the night, confirming many pundits’ suspicion that he is ahead of Ronald Araujo on Flick’s pecking order.

Was solid with his distribution and decision-making and also stood strong with his defensive abilities in the first half when Barcelona were under pressure.

Pau Cubarsi: 8.5

The teenage sensation led Barcelona’s defence on the night and was on point with his positioning and distribution.

His calm presence at the back ensured that the men in garnet and blue were reassured at the back and that the ship was always steady.

Jules Kounde: 7

A decent game from Kounde who was good in defence but not very effective in attack.

While he was not bright with his link-up play, he was spot-on with his tracking back and covered a lot of ground defending Las Palmas’ counterattacks.

Marc Casado: 7.5

Casado returned to the starting lineup after long and was given a chance to prove his worth once more after Frenkie de Jong’s rise to prominence in recent weeks.

On a night when the Blaugrana were under immense pressure in midfield, especially on transitions, the La Masia star was crucial with his interceptions.

Pedri: 8

Pedri’s return to the Canary Islands was special. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s best player in recent weeks was once again comfortable, this time back at home against the club he rose the ranks.

However, Pedri did not get on the ball as much as he would have liked in the opening period as Barcelona looked clearly stumped by Las Palmas’ well-organised press and cohesion on the field.

Fermin Lopez: 6.5

Lopez was Flick’s attempt to create chaos in the Las Palmas area but the youngster did not deliver the impact he hoped to in the opening period.

With the opponents overcrowding the central areas and congesting Barcelona for space, his movements were not half as effective as initially expected.

Was hooked off at half-time after Flick’s experiment with him failed.

Lamine Yamal: 8.5

A mixed night for the Golden Boy winner. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

Yamal’s first-half display against Las Palmas was amongst the worst performances he has delivered since his debut, although the strong comparison can only be attributed to the sky-high standards he has set for himself.

Yamal got on the ball regularly and even attempted take-ons but his dribbles failed far too often, especially with the hosts overpopulating the central areas.

Improved after the hour mark and provided the assist for Olmo’s goal and grew back into the game. Completed his night with three key passes, a big chance created and eight succesful dribbles.

Raphinha: 8

The Brazilian was Barcelona’s best player in attack last night, albeit still far from his best.

Raphinha picked up the ball in wide areas and often looked to orchestrate the play into central channels.

His distribution was decent despite Las Palmas’ high press and he looked to threaten the goal in the final third. Scored the assist for Ferran’s late goal.

Robert Lewandowski: 6

The Polish striker only completed six touches of the ball in the opening 45 minutes and recorded two shots off-target.

Simply could not get a hold of the ball in the Las Palmas box given the intense pressure and tight spaces and struggled to get going.

Dani Olmo: 8.5

The attacking midfielder came on after the break in place of Lopez as Flick’s attempt to create chaos in the final third and disorganise Las Palmas’ fluency.

Showed quick feet and great ball control to create space and put the ball into the back of the net for Barcelona’s opening goal.

Ferran Torres: 7.5

Came on in the dying minutes of the game and scored the second goal of the night for Barcelona, releasing the pressure and guaranteeing the result.