A first-half strike from Samuel Eto'o gave Barcelona a crucial 1-0 win over struggling Levante on Sunday to move the Catalans back top of the Primera Liga.
From Ben Hayward, PA Sport, Barcelona
Frank Rijkaard's side took to the pitch in the knowledge that title rivals Sevilla had beaten Espanyol earlier in the day to move ahead by two points at the top of the table.
Despite that added pressure, Barcelona started brightly, with both Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi looking lively early on.
Eto'o was also involved in the champions' best play early on and broke the deadlock after 28 minutes.
Levante goalkeeper Jose Molina pushed the ball away just before Xavi could get a shot in, but the Cameroon striker was at hand to smash home the rebound.
Barcelona seemed content to sit back after the goal and created little else of note in a largely disappointing first half.
However, there was a marked improvement after the break as Rijkaard's side sought to put the game out of Levante's reach.
Eto'o set up Deco on the 47 minutes, but the Portugal midfielder was slow to react and lost the chance to shoot.
Ronaldinho then came close to doubling his team's lead two minutes later, but saw his superb dipping volley tipped over the bar by an alert Molina.
Eto'o then had the ball in the net for a second time on 51 minutes, only to see his effort correctly ruled out for offside.
He should have scored earlier on in the attack, but was denied by Molina in a one-on-one situation and had drifted into an offside position by the time the ball finally came back to him via Messi, Ronaldinho and Molina again.
At the other end, Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes got down well to keep out Luis Manuel Rubiales in a rare Levante attack.
But Barcelona were still on top should have added to their lead on several occasions late on.
Alexis dispossessed Oleguer with a last-ditch tackle on 71 minutes and Ronaldinho blasted well wide after good work from Messi.
The Argentina forward was guilty of a comical miss in the final minutes.
Messi charged into the area unmarked and looked certain to smash home a second Barcelona goal after Eto'o's perfectly-weighted centre, but blasted the ball over from just five yards out, before lashing out at the advertising hoardings in frustration.
The youngster was nearly made to pay dearly for that miss as Levante came within a whisker of equalising immediately afterwards.
Gustavo Reggi found himself unmarked in the six-yard box, but could not quite connect after Valdes had badly misjudged a cross.
Barcelona then went charging forward and Ronaldinho shot straight at Molina as the game finished with a flourish.
The drama continued as Levante ended the game with 10 men after Rubiales got a second yellow card for an ugly tackle on Messi.
Frank Rijkaard's side took to the pitch in the knowledge that title rivals Sevilla had beaten Espanyol earlier in the day to move ahead by two points at the top of the table.
Despite that added pressure, Barcelona started brightly, with both Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi looking lively early on.
Eto'o was also involved in the champions' best play early on and broke the deadlock after 28 minutes.
Levante goalkeeper Jose Molina pushed the ball away just before Xavi could get a shot in, but the Cameroon striker was at hand to smash home the rebound.
Barcelona seemed content to sit back after the goal and created little else of note in a largely disappointing first half.
However, there was a marked improvement after the break as Rijkaard's side sought to put the game out of Levante's reach.
Eto'o set up Deco on the 47 minutes, but the Portugal midfielder was slow to react and lost the chance to shoot.
Ronaldinho then came close to doubling his team's lead two minutes later, but saw his superb dipping volley tipped over the bar by an alert Molina.
Eto'o then had the ball in the net for a second time on 51 minutes, only to see his effort correctly ruled out for offside.
He should have scored earlier on in the attack, but was denied by Molina in a one-on-one situation and had drifted into an offside position by the time the ball finally came back to him via Messi, Ronaldinho and Molina again.
At the other end, Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes got down well to keep out Luis Manuel Rubiales in a rare Levante attack.
But Barcelona were still on top should have added to their lead on several occasions late on.
Alexis dispossessed Oleguer with a last-ditch tackle on 71 minutes and Ronaldinho blasted well wide after good work from Messi.
The Argentina forward was guilty of a comical miss in the final minutes.
Messi charged into the area unmarked and looked certain to smash home a second Barcelona goal after Eto'o's perfectly-weighted centre, but blasted the ball over from just five yards out, before lashing out at the advertising hoardings in frustration.
The youngster was nearly made to pay dearly for that miss as Levante came within a whisker of equalising immediately afterwards.
Gustavo Reggi found himself unmarked in the six-yard box, but could not quite connect after Valdes had badly misjudged a cross.
Barcelona then went charging forward and Ronaldinho shot straight at Molina as the game finished with a flourish.
The drama continued as Levante ended the game with 10 men after Rubiales got a second yellow card for an ugly tackle on Messi.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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