Olmo Helps Barcelona Grind Out Win at Las Palmas and Keep La Liga League

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Las Palmas and Barcelona at the Gran Canaria stadium in Las Palmas, Spain's Canary Islands, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gabriel Jimenez)

Dani Olmo scored after coming off the bench to help Barcelona win 2-0 at Las Palmas on Saturday and stay top of the Spanish league.
Lamine Yamal linked up with Olmo to find a seam in the hosts’ defense in the 62nd minute. Olmo took Yamal’s threaded pass, shifted the ball to his left foot to open an angle around a defender, and fired the ball in off the underside of the bar, The Associated Press reported.
While Olmo went on at halftime, Ferran Torres only played the final minutes and drilled in a second goal from angle in stoppage time.
“Las Palmas is a team that defends well and closes down the interior passing lanes so we had to remain patient,” Olmo said. “In the second half the spaces opened up and we were able to score and take the three points.”
Barcelona avenged a shock home loss to the Canary Islands club in November as it ensured it will spend another week atop the standings.
The team coached by Hansi Flick is one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, which won 3-0 at Valencia earlier on Saturday. Real Madrid is three points back before facing Girona on Sunday without the suspended Jude Bellingham.
Barcelona plays the first leg of its Copa del Rey semifinal against Atletico on Tuesday.
Álvarez nets double Julián Álvarez scored twice to lead Atletico to a comfortable win at Mestalla Stadium.
Antoine Griezmann played a part in both of Álvarez’s first-half goals with a pair of finely placed lobs inside Valencia’s box.
Álvarez finished off a move in the 12th inside Valencia’s area that started with a lifted pass from Griezmann that Samuel Lino volleyed off the bar. Guiliano Simeone was first to the rebound and tapped it to Álvarez to ram into the net.
Griezmann was again left with space and time to think inside the area before he landed a perfectly placed pass between Valencia’s center backs for Álvarez to gently nod off the turf and inside the post on the half-hour mark.
Ángel Correa completed the scoring with four minutes remaining.
“We are still in the fight,” Álvarez said.
Valencia remained in the relegation zone.
Villarreal stays in the fight for fourth Villarreal striker Ayoze Pérez netted his 11th league goal of the campaign in a 1-0 victory at 10-man Rayo Vallecano.
The result kept Villarreal in fifth place and challenging for a Champions League berth that go to the top four finishers. Athletic Bilbao is fourth and just one point ahead.
Rayo played with 10 men after Jorge de Frutos saw a red card for a studs-first foul just before halftime. The Madrid-based club also lost top midfielder Isi Palazón early in the game to an apparent leg injury. Pérez scored in the 66th.
First away win Espanyol won its first away game of the season thanks to a header by Fernando Calero and the goalkeeping of Joan García to beat Alaves 1-0 on the road.
The loss left Alaves coach Eduardo Coudet under added pressure with his team in danger of the drop.