Barcelona stay top as Atletico Madrid strike late to win at Real Sociedad

Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of La Liga with a convincing victory over Levante on Sunday, while Atletico Madrid climbed to fourth after scoring three times in the final 10 minutes against Real Sociedad.

The other two matches produced closely contested draws, with Celta Vigo sharing the points with Malaga and Getafe being held by Deportivo La Coruna.

Levante 2-4 Barcelona

Barcelona’s attacking quality proved decisive at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia as they secured all three points in a high-scoring contest.

The visitors made a fast start, with Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal finding the net early to establish a two-goal advantage. Yamal then converted a penalty to add a third, before Karim Adeyemi completed the win in stoppage time.

Levante mounted a late second-half fightback, but Barcelona held on to remain top of the standings.

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said his side had been impressive early on but needed to manage the match more calmly.

“We had a great start, but then we broke down a bit, we needed to play more calmly. The pitch was not in the best condition, it was very dry,” he told reporters.

Flick also accepted responsibility for the first goal conceded.

“The first goal was my fault, we wanted to make a change, and Espart had requested it, but we decided to wait. But I’m happy, we won and had a great start to the game.”

Real Sociedad 0-3 Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid needed patience at Anoeta before eventually turning a tense match into a comprehensive away victory.

Real Sociedad kept the game goalless for 80 minutes, but Alejandro Grimaldo broke the deadlock by converting a late penalty. Atletico then took full control as Jonathan David and Giuliano Simeone scored in quick succession during the closing stages.

The three goals in the final minutes lifted Atletico to fourth in the league table.

Celta Vigo 1-1 Malaga

Celta Vigo and Malaga each took a point from an evenly fought encounter at Balaidos.

Celta broke through late in the first half when Ferran Jutgla finished to give the hosts the lead. Malaga continued to press for a response and were rewarded in the 83rd minute.

Substitute Adrian Nino scored the equaliser, ensuring the visitors left with a share of the points.

Getafe 1-1 Deportivo La Coruna

Getafe and Deportivo La Coruna also drew after a tight match at the Coliseum.

Neither side managed to score before half-time, but Getafe moved in front in the 66th minute when Ramon Terrats converted.

Their advantage lasted only 12 minutes. Veteran striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang restored parity for Deportivo La Coruna, leaving both teams with one point.