Rayo took the game to their opponents from the first whistle, and Barcelona found it difficult to construct any early moves of note.
The Catalans still managed the first shot on target after Lamine Yamal’s powerful attempt was well saved by Augusto Batalla, and a poor back pass soon after let in Raphinha, who made a mess of his chance.
Joan Garcia’s stunning save from Andrei Ratiu after a sweeping Rayo move kept the score goalless, though it was evident that the game was already developing into an exciting end-to-end contest.
Dani Olmo’s long-range effort on 25’ again had Batalla at full stretch, though Barça were finding it difficult to get in behind a well-drilled Rayo defence.
When they did, through Raphinha, his decision-making deserted him, and the chance was gone. Thanks mainly to Jorge de Frutos and Isi Palazon, the hosts continued to work Garcia, and the wider efforts of their teammates ensured that the visitors couldn’t get their own passing game going.
Sensational skill by Yamal earned Barcelona a hotly-contested penalty as the interval approached, and despite anger from the terraces, the 18-year-old dispatched the spot-kick with aplomb.
It soon came to light that the connection between the VAR and the referee wasn’t working, leading to no review of the decision and a sense of injustice. Right on half-time, Olmo missed a presentable chance to double Barca’s lead, before they trudged off to the loudest whistles and boos imaginable.
Almost immediately after the restart, another world-class save from Garcia denied Palazon, before a lightning-quick move from Barcelona ended when Olmo blazed another chance wide.
As Pedri began to dictate the visitors’ forward play, they began to get a real foothold in the game, but Barcelona were still susceptible to defensive lapses at the back, which encouraged the partisan crowd.
De Frutos’ fine finish looked to have got Rayo back on level terms just after the hour, but his celebration was short-lived because of the offside flag. Shortly after, Fran Perez was left unmarked from a corner and buried his shot in the roof of the net.
As the hosts continued to pressure the reigning champions, de Frutos got through on goal, only to find Garcia in unbeatable form. In the latter stages of the match, the action continued to switch from one end to the other, and only profligate finishing saw no further goals scored, with Sergio Camello’s 86th-minute effort ruled out for offside.
As a result, Barcelona remain unbeaten in LaLiga away games against sides from the Community of Madrid under Hansi Flick (W4, D2), but Barça are likely to feel it’s two points dropped.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Joan Garcia (Barcelona)