Barcelona maintained their flawless start to the La Liga season with a 4-2 victory over Levante, surviving a tense late spell before securing all three points at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.
Hansi Flick’s side looked firmly in control for much of the contest and moved three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table after recording a fifth successive league win.
Teenager Xavi Espart gave Barcelona an ideal start, opening the scoring inside the first five minutes. Lamine Yamal then doubled the advantage after being picked out by Raphinha, putting the defending champions in a commanding position before the break.
Barcelona strengthened their grip on the match shortly after half-time. Yamal converted a penalty three minutes into the second period to complete his brace and make it 3-0.
Levante appeared to be heading for a comfortable defeat, but Barcelona’s control began to slip during the closing stages. A mistake from Espart allowed substitute Ivan Romero to reduce the deficit with 11 minutes remaining, giving the hosts renewed belief.
The pressure increased when Roger Brugue struck from close range nine minutes later, suddenly cutting Barcelona’s lead to one goal and setting up a nervous finish.
Levante pushed for an equaliser, but Barcelona resisted the late pressure and eventually ended the contest in stoppage time. Substitute Karim Adeyemi beat goalkeeper Matthew Ryan to make it 4-2 and remove any remaining doubt over the result.
The victory extends Barcelona’s perfect league record and keeps Flick’s team at the summit of La Liga after another high-scoring performance, even though the late defensive collapse provided a warning ahead of tougher tests.