Levante 5-4 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points
Levante ended Barcelona's long unbeaten run in a pulsating 5-4 victory. The Spanish champions were two games away from capping off a historic campaign, but the minnows sprung a surprise out of the blue.
With Lionel Messi dropped from the matchday squad altogether, manager Ernesto Valverde fielded a much-changed line-up and eventually paid for it.
The visitors were dominant at the start, but the Granotas feasted on some poor man-marking and acres of space left by Barcelona's defence. Levante lead 2-1 at the break and then increased the lead to 5-1 before the hour mark as Emmanuel Boateng scored hat-trick.
Barcelona mounted a late comeback as Coutinho bagged a treble of his own and Suarez further reduced the deficit from the spot. But alas, the gods weren't shining on the swashbuckling Catalans, who saw their dream of an unbeaten season crumble in spectacular fashion.
Here are some major talking points from the bedlam in Valencia:
#1 Barcelona's 'invincibles' dream crushed
For 36 games, the Blaugrana successfully fended off challenges and challengers, and even in the time of crisis, somehow found a way to escape defeat. This particular attribute almost carried them to an unbeaten La Liga season - a feat never achieved in the Spanish top-flight since 1931/32. And with two games to go, Valverde's Barcelona looked all set to make history, before this weekend.
Except, Levante had other plans, who were touted to be run over by the mighty Catalans as the writing was on the wall. But what unfolded was truly unbelievable. They didn't just beat them for the first time ever in the league, but also chose the perfect moment to do it.
Barcelona paid for letting complacency get into their game. And the price was a bit too much - the dream of an 'invincible' season dusted; all the season-long efforts blown up in smoke.
Seldom has a defeat by one-goal margin felt this heart-breaking.