Barcelona reclaim La Liga lead with hard-fought win over Las Palmas

Barcelona reclaimed the top spot in La Liga with a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals from Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres.

After Atletico Madrid briefly took the lead in the standings with a win over Valencia, Barcelona responded with a crucial away triumph, edging one point ahead of their rivals. Substitute Olmo broke the deadlock with a well-taken finish before Torres sealed the win, avenging Barca’s surprise home loss to Las Palmas earlier in the season.

Reigning champions Real Madrid, currently third, have the chance to draw level on points with Barcelona if they defeat Girona later on Saturday.

The first half was a frustrating one for Barcelona, as their attack struggled to break down a resilient Las Palmas defense. Head coach Hansi Flick reacted at halftime by introducing Olmo for the subdued Fermin Lopez, a decision that soon paid off.

Initially, Olmo misfired with a poor pass, but he quickly made amends. Lamine Yamal’s incisive dribble set up the midfielder, who danced past defenders before slotting home the opener.

Las Palmas responded with urgency, as former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez went close with a powerful strike that whistled past Wojciech Szczesny’s post. Meanwhile, Yamal continued to be a menace down the right, delivering a pinpoint cross to Robert Lewandowski, whose header was comfortably saved by Jasper Cillessen.

Lewandowski spurned another chance after excellent buildup play from Alejandro Balde, while Las Palmas appealed for a penalty after Eric Garcia’s arm blocked a shot. However, VAR ruled out the claim due to an earlier offside.

As the match entered eight minutes of stoppage time, Las Palmas pushed for an equalizer, but a costly defensive error proved their undoing. Raphinha intercepted a misplaced pass and teed up Torres, who rifled his shot past Cillessen to secure Barcelona’s victory.

The defeat leaves Las Palmas in 17th place, level on points with 18th-placed Valencia, who sit in the relegation zone.