Barcelona’s attacking prowess turned out to be too hot to handle for Las Palmas as Los Amarillos went down 4-1, proving to be no match for the mercurial trio that MSN is.
Neymar bagged a hattrick while Luis Suarez got a goal to his name. Lionel Messi stayed relatively silent on the day going by his standards, but he was a constant source of threat, forcing a good save out of Javi Varas towards the end of the ninety minutes. Although the Blaugrana weren’t at their very best, failing to dominate most phases of play, finesse in its purest form up front helped them stay in the hunt for domestic glory.
Trending
Here are the player ratings for the game:
UD Las Palmas
Javi Varas (6/10)
Varas was more or less helpless between the sticks as he was beaten mostly through no fault of his own. The Spaniard put up a decent performance, coming off his line to collect the ball as and when he sensed danger.
Michel Macedo (5/10)
Michel Macedo put up a forgettable performance in defence. The right-back was not exactly equipped to deal with Neymar on the flank as he was beaten for pace and skill multiple times. He did prove his worth in an attacking role though, sending in dangerous crosses into Barcelona’s box.
Helder Lopes (5/10)
Helder Lopes timed his tackle well to stop Suarez from scoring right at the beginning of the game. The left-back pushed high up the field, creating an overload on the left flank along with Jese Rodriguez. But in defence Lopes was caught out of position on quite a few occasions and he should’ve closed down Ivan Rakitic as he supplied the cross for Neymar’s third goal.
Mauricio Lemos (7/10)
Lemos put up a strong defensive display. He also pushed up beyond the half-line into unchartered territory, showing good composure whilst on the ball. But he was caught ball watching as Suarez breezed past him to assist Neymar for the game’s first goal.
Pedro Bigas (7.5/10)
The centre-back turned out to be the unlikeliest of scorers for Las Palmas’ only goal. He initiated the move in his own box and finished it off neatly into Ter Stegen’s net. Apart from the goal, the Spaniard contributed to the play with his impressive distribution.
Angel Montoro (5.5/10)
Angel Montoro weaved a few decent passes in midfield but ultimately his performance was underwhelming as he remained invisible when he should have been right in the mix of all the action. He was brought off in the 78th minute.
Momo (7/10)
The veteran winger contributed in both defence and attack. Dropping deep, he supported Michel Macedo in his attempts to contain Neymar. He was also involved in the build-up to Bigas’ goal. Apart from that, Momo’s set-piece delivery was mediocre at best. He was replaced by Halilovic later in the game.
Jese Rodriguez (6.5/10)
The former Real Madrid man was the main outlet for the home side on the left flank as he wreaked havoc against Lucas Digne, who should have been sent off for bringing him down early on in the game. While Jese was great on the ball, end product was clearly lacking from him.
Roque Mesa (5/10)
Mesa was quite slow on the ball and hence, he failed to keep up with Barcelona’s tempo in midfield. What he lacked in speed, he tried and made up for in work-rate. He did get a shot on goal but it didn’t really cause much trouble for Ter Stegen.
Jonathan Viera (8/10)
Arguably the best player in a yellow shirt on the field, Jonathan Viera was a warrior in the middle of the park. He kept his side organised from box to box, while also creating chances in the final third. Despite taking a knock in the early minutes of the game, Viera marched on, orchestrating moves in and around Barcelona’s penalty area.
Kevin-Prince Boateng (6/10)
Kevin-Prince Boateng never looked comfortable in an out and out striker’s role. He did manage to get an assist to his name though, as he drove in a low cross into the box, which was converted by Bigas. Boateng also shouldered defensive responsibilities as he dropped in deep to disrupt play in Barca’s midfield.
Substitutes
Alen Halilovic (4.5/10)
The attacking midfielder was brought on for Momo in the 72nd minute. He did add an extra dimension of speed to Las Palmas’ attack in the final twenty minutes. Towards the end, he lost the ball in a dangerous area, allowing Messi to get a shot on target, only to be saved by Varas.
Hernan Santana (NA)
Introduced in the 78th minute, Hernan was kept silent by Marlon in the dying moments of the game.
Javi Castellano (NA)
Javi Castellano was brought on too late to have an impact on the proceedings.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (5.5/10)
Ter Stegen was not bothered a lot on the eve, thanks to a strong display by his centre-backs. But he seemed prone to errors and indecisive. There were times when his distribution, as well as clearance, was disappointing.
Lucas Digne (5.5/10)
Starting as a centre-back alongside Umtiti, Lucas Digne drifted towards the right flank in a matter of minutes. While the Frenchman performed reasonably well, bearing in mind that he was played out of position, discipline remained a major problem for him as there were at least a couple of occasions when he could have easily been sent off. He was booked for bringing down Jese, who was clearly through on goal and was further penalised for elbowing Viera in the face.
Jordi Alba (7/10)
Always a threat going forward, Jordi Alba teamed up with Neymar to dominate proceedings on the left flank. The two combined well for Neymar’s third goal, as Alba raced along the touchline to keep the ball in play and supplied an inch-perfect through-ball that the Brazilian latched on to. Defensively, he could have done better to stop Boateng from supplying the cross for the opposition’s goal.
Samuel Umtiti (8/10)
Another strong defensive display from Samuel Umtiti ensured that Barcelona sailed smoothly to a comfortable victory. He organised and maintained the defensive shape and structure on his side quite well, being a leader at the back in the absence of both Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano.
Marlon (8/10)
Marlon was called up to the side at the eleventh hour when Javier Mascherano suffered a muscle injury during warm up. The youngster showed great composure as he put up a good performance at the back on his league debut. Initially starting as a right-back, he soon adapted to a center-back role in a three-man defence.
Ivan Rakitic (7.5/10)
Ivan Rakitic lit up the game with his clever dribbling and quick passing. Rakitic initiated the move for Barcelona’s first goal as he executed a roulette with perfection and released the ball to find Iniesta in space. The Croat also bagged an assist to his name as he whipped in a fantastic cross from the right flank for Neymar to nod into the goal.
Andres Iniesta (8/10)
While defensively Andres Iniesta seemed slow and beaten for pace and skill most of the time, he more than made up for it in attack. The Spain international played an important role in the build-up to Barcelona’s first goal as he released Suarez through the central channel with a piercing through-ball. Iniesta, paired with Sergio Busquets dictated the flow of the game.
Sergio Busquets (8/10)
The most efficient and versatile player on the field, Sergio Busquets won the ball back for Barcelona in crucial spaces and helped retain possession. He also filled in at right-back in the later parts of the game giving Andre Gomes to venture forward.
Lionel Messi (7/10)
While Lionel Messi didn’t contribute with goals today, he did have an impact on the game. Nimble footwork and dangerous aerial balls in an around the Las Palmas box kept the defenders on their toes. He lashed a couple of efforts at goal, which were either blocked by the defenders crowding around him or saved by Javi Varas.
Neymar Jr (9.5/10)
Man of the match by a mile, it was Neymar’s lethal finishing that won Barcelona the three points. The winger slotted the ball into an empty net for his first, sent a perfect header flying into the bottom corner for his second and guided the ball into the Las Palmas goal with a sublime finish past the keeper to complete his hat-trick. He also earned an assist to his name.
Luis Suarez (9/10)
Luis Suarez had a good day at the office, bagging a goal and an assist. The Uruguayan was poking his nose around the goal from the very beginning and it wasn’t long before he was through on goal, with only the keeper to beat. Suarez selflessly passed the ball to Neymar and his favour was soon repaid as his Brazilian colleague supplied him with an inch-perfect ball which he lobbed over the keeper, into the goal.
Substitutes
Andre Gomes (7/10)
The central midfielder, who was brought on for Lucas Digne in the 58th minute, did not seem to have any problems performing the duties of a right-back. He was later given the freedom to venture forward and proved to be a constant threat.
Denis Suarez (NA)
Denis Suarez provided fresh legs in attack with his bursts of speed troubling the opposition defence towards the end of the game.
Paco Alcacer (NA)
Paco Alcacer was brought in quite late and the change did not have an impact on the game.
