A thrilling four-goal haul for Barcelona: a comfortable win turns into late suffering
Levante rose up at the end
Barcelona kept their perfect start to the Spanish league alive, seeing off Levante 4-2 in the fifth round to make it five wins from five. The Catalans controlled the game for long spells before fading badly in the closing minutes and handing the hosts a way back in.
Flick's side went into the match looking to reclaim top spot with a three-point cushion over Real Madrid, hours after Los Blancos beat Rayo Vallecano. The German named his usual 4-3-3, with Gordon, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal up front and Rodri starting in midfield.
Xavi Espart opened the scoring. He collected the ball on the edge of the box, drove forward and drilled a well-placed low shot from a tight angle into the net in the fifth minute, handing Barcelona an early lead.
Barca kept to their usual script after that, dominating possession and moving the ball constantly, with quality all over the pitch. Levante tried to hit back through efforts from Ratkov and Brugge in the 16th minute, but the visitors' defence stayed compact and snuffed out both without any change to the flow of the game.
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal kept probing amid the visitors' clear control. The Brazilian was central again, pouncing on a poor clearance from Mandi, taking a superb touch and clipping a precise cross to Lamine Yamal.
Yamal found himself in front of goal in the perfect position and made no mistake, tapping into the empty net to double the lead in the 19th minute. Barcelona's superiority over the hosts was now beyond doubt.
Little changed after the second. Barcelona ran the game, Pedri and company kept their grip, and Levante managed only a handful of attempts. The Catalans went in at the break with a comfortable and deserved lead.
An early goal
Barcelona rang the changes at the restart, sending on Christensen for Martin, but it did nothing to alter the pattern. They kept pressing and dominating while Levante struggled to work the ball out of their own third with any order.
A penalty followed in the 48th minute, awarded when Mandi handled after another burst from Lamine Yamal. The Spaniard stepped up himself and calmly slotted home for a third, easing his side into an even more comfortable position.
The chances kept coming after the third goal. Raphinha nearly added another in the 55th minute, latching onto a Gordon pass and firing towards goal, only to see his effort slide just past the post.
Levante grew bolder as the game moved into its final half hour and carved out openings to pull one back. Neither Bardhi nor Romero could take their chances in the 61st minute, leaving Barcelona three goals to the good.
Flick's changes turn the shape of the match
Flick then turned to his bench for fresh legs, introducing Dani Olmo, Adama and Bernal for Lamine Yamal, Gordon and Pedri. The switches clearly disrupted the cohesion and control that had defined Barcelona for most of the afternoon.
Barca lost their grip. Levante found more room to move, and the hosts pounced on a glaring error from Xavi Espart in the 79th minute, Romero tucking away the first to make it 1-3.
Levante would not let up. They kept hunting a second, and it arrived in the 88th minute when Brugge caused chaos in the Barcelona box, the hosts turning it into a goal to make it 3-2 and leaving the visitors sweating through a nervy finish.
Barcelona landed the knockout blow in stoppage time just as Levante chased the equaliser. Adama went on a superb solo run, beating the hosts' defenders before lashing a fierce right-footed shot in at the near post for a fourth in the 90+3 minute.
The big win and the perfect record aside, those closing minutes exposed a worrying streak. A drop in concentration and defensive shape let Levante score twice and pour drama back into a game that had looked done for long stretches. Adama's goal restored the calm and sealed the three points for Flick.
