Levante 3-3 Barcelona: 5 Talking points as Blaugrana lose ground in title race | La Liga 2020-21
Barcelona dropped points for the second La Liga game in a row, as they squandered a 2-0 lead in an entertaining 3-3 draw at Levante. The draw means Barcelona, with 76 points, remain second in the standings.
Atletico Madrid continue to lead the way with 77 points and have a game in hand. Barcelona's fierce rivals Real Madrid, who are in third place with 75 points, will usurp the Blaugrana if they win against Granada on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi took another step towards winning his eighth Pichichi Trophy when he opened the scoring against Levante with an acrobatic first-time finish. Pedri doubled Barcelona's lead in the 34th minute after Ousmane Dembele's pass found the teenager in front of an empty net.
However, Levante scored twice in two minutes to restore parity, thanks to brilliant efforts from Gonzalo Melero and Jose Luis Morales.
Ousmane Dembele thought he scored the winner for Barcelona in the 64th minute, but the Blaugrana's defensive frailties were exposed once again when Sergio Leon made it 3-3 on the night seven minutes from time.
With the draw, Barcelona would need other results to go their way to win the league title. That's because if Atletico win their three remaining games, they'll be crowned champions. On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from this game.
#1 Barcelona's first-half dominance gets undone by poor defending
Barcelona had a firm grasp on the game by half-time, as they had a comfortable two-goal cushion.
However, instead of trying to put the game to bed in the second half, Barcelona's intensity dropped, which allowed Levante a way back into the game. Moreover, the Blaugrana performed poorly in defence, with full-back Sergi Roberto playing in an unfamiliar central defensive position not helping their cause.
#2 Levante ensure their top-flight status with a crucial point
With a win, Barcelona would have taken charge of the title race. But that didn't happen. Instead, Levante ensured that they'd remain in the Spanish top flight for the 2021-22 campaign with a hard-earned point from the game.
Levante now have 40 points from 36 games and have an unassailable ten-point lead over 18th-placed Huesca, who have a game in hand.
Levante have returned to form at just the right time, as their second draw in as many games following four-straight losses has saved them from relegation.
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