Barcelona go top … now can they stay there?
Barcelona beat Rayo 1-0 to go top of the table in La Liga on Monday but there’s no doubt at all that this was a very tough night for Hansi Flick’s side.
Rayo headed to Barcelona with the best record of all in La Liga so far in 2025 and showed exactly why with a strong showing at Montjuic.
In contrast, Barca had a tough night with their prolific frontline of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha misfiring for once and their only goal coming from the penalty spot.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny ended up outshining the forward line with some good saves to preserve a clean sheet and also his unbeaten record for the club, while Flick and Frenkie de Jong both made it clear the team will have to improve if they are to stay top of the pile.
Some more big tests are coming up next which may give us more indication of whether Barca can go the distance.
The team’s next league games are against Las Palmas, Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Atletico – four teams they were beaten by in the first half of the campaign.
VAR in the spotlight yet again in La Liga
The match officials were in the spotlight again after this win due to a number of controversial incidents in the match, all of which went in Barcelona’s favor.
The Catalans were awarded a penalty after Inigo Martinez has been hauled down in the penalty. The incident was missed initially but was always going to be given once the ref had been sent to the screens.
Yet Rayo also wanted a penalty for a shirt grab by Hector Fort on Abdul Mumin that wasn’t seen at the time and didn’t seem to be of interest to VAR either.
Rayo also saw a goal by Jorge de Frutos ruled out after a check as a clearly offside Randy Nteka blocked off Inigo Martinez.
Rayo voiced their complaints after the match, while Flick defended the use of technology.
Pedri is a man reborn
Pedri was the star of the show yet again for Barcelona on Monday night as he produced another masterclass to help the Catalans down a very good Rayo side.
Yet it wasn’t just his incredible talent that was on show. Pedri seemed to be absolutely everywhere and looks so much fitter, stronger and more durable that he has ever done during his time at Barcelona.
Hansi Flick played tribute to the work his coaching staff have done with Pedri since arriving in the summer after the match.
