Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win over Levante at the Camp Nou, capitalising on Real Madrid’s blunder on Saturday.
Levante almost stunned the home crowd inside the first minute when Carlos Alvarez broke through one-on-one, but his effort was straight at Joan Garcia.
Barcelona responded quickly and took the lead in the fourth minute. Eric Garcia found space down the left and squared for Marc Bernal, who arrived on cue to poke a low finish past Mat Ryan for the fastest Barcelona goal of their league season.
Barcelona dominated possession but were not without warning signs. Levante created chances on the break, with Garcia producing an excellent save from Olasagasti midway through the half.
At the other end, wasteful finishing kept the scoreline tight until the 32nd minute, when Joao Cancelo’s left-wing delivery was met by Frenkie de Jong, who guided a finish into the corner to make it 2-0 at the interval.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Barcelona pushed for a third while Levante struggled to turn possession into clear openings.
Ryan was repeatedly called into action, notably producing a sharp double save late on to deny Raphinha and Fermin Lopez.
The third goal finally arrived in the 81st minute and was the highlight of the contest. Lamine Yamal teed up Lopez, who cut inside and unleashed a stunning long-range strike that flew in off the post.
