Rayo Vallecano came into this game knowing that a victory would lift them back into the UEFA Europa League qualification places ahead of Celta Vigo’s match against Sevilla tomorrow afternoon.
Los Franjirroccos started the game strongly too, dominating both possession and chances in the early stages, but Diego Martínez’s side struggled to muster a shot to trouble Dinko Horkas.
That was the case at least up until the 22nd minute, when a corner found the head of Florian Lejuene, but the Frenchman’s header was straight at the Croatian goalkeeper.
However, the best chance of the first half went the way of the hosts, with Mika Marmol picking out Oli McBurnie in the penalty area, but the striker's effort was pushed away from the bottom-left corner by a superb save from Augusto Batalla.
Las Palmas still struggled to get a foothold in the game after that chance, but Los Amarillos managed to stand strong until half-time to head into the break level.
The second half started slowly, with neither side showing much quality in front of goal. That changed after 66 minutes though, when Rayo Vallecano finally managed to break the deadlock through Alvaro Garcia, after he managed to squeeze past his man inside the penalty area before rifling in a superb effort off the underside of the crossbar.
Following the goal, Las Palmas grew into the game but were unable to cause any problems for the Vallecano defence.
The best chance the home side managed to create came the way of McBurnie after a corner in the 77th minute, but the Scot’s header went well over the bar. Martinez’s men held on to secure a vital three points in their quest to secure Europa League football, climbing to seventh in the process.
Meanwhile, things continue to look bleak for Las Palmas, with Los Amarillos now three points adrift of safety with just three games remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Aridane Hernandez (Rayo Vallecano)