Barcelona managed to scrape through a tense game against Rayo Vallecano and climb back to the top of La Liga, a position they hadn't held since December.

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Robert Lewandowski scored a first-half penalty, which turned out to be the game-winning goal. This win pushed Barcelona above their rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, both of whom had 1-1 draws on Saturday.

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Lewandowski’s penalty, his 20th goal of the season, came after a controversial decision by the video assistant referee (VAR). The referee awarded a penalty when Rayo’s Pathe Ciss was accused of pulling down Inigo Martinez, although Martinez was nowhere near the ball.

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Rayo Vallecano was furious when they didn't get a penalty for a similar incident involving Ciss. The tension heightened when Rayo thought they had scored an equalizer, but the goal was disallowed because Randy Nteka, in an offside position, was considered to have obstructed Martinez.

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Barcelona missed several opportunities to extend their lead in the second half and were lucky not to concede when Jorge de Frutos missed a chance for Rayo Vallecano late in the game.

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With this victory, Barcelona now leads the table with 51 points, ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference and one point clear of Atletico Madrid, with 14 games remaining in the season.

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