Audio By Carbonatix
Barcelona eased some pressure on absent manager Ronald Koeman with a comfortable La Liga victory over winless Levante at the Nou Camp.
Memphis Depay's sixth-minute penalty gave Barcelona the lead after the Dutch forward was fouled by Nemanja Radoja.
Compatriot Luuk de Jong then raced on to Sergino Dest's pass to score his first goal since joining on a season-long loan from Sevilla.
Substitute Ansu Fati hit the third on his return from a long-term injury.
Barcelona climb to fifth in La Liga and are five points behind leaders Real Madrid with a game in hand. Real were held by Villarreal on Saturday.
The pressure had been growing on manager Koeman after two wins from five La Liga matches this season had left them well adrift of the early pacesetters.
And although Koeman was absent from the dugout on Sunday, having been dismissed for dissent in Thursday's goalless draw with Cadiz, his players had little trouble in putting an end to a three-game winless run in all competitions.
Levante failed to register a shot until the 81st minute, while Depay was thwarted by several good saves from Aitor Fernandez.
A return and goal for 18-year-old Fati - wearing Lionel Messi's number 10 shirt on his first appearance since November 2020 after undergoing knee surgery - completed a fine success.
Latest Stories
-
Hamamat and Wiyaala land tourism ambassadorial roles
30 minutes -
A singer’s tragic death highlights Nigeria’s snakebite problem
1 hour -
Mikel Arteta: Arsenal’s 9-point lead at top of Premier League means ‘nothing’
2 hours -
Japan votes in snap election as PM Takaichi takes a gamble
2 hours -
Bloodshed in Kpandai as rival chieftaincy factions clash over gravel pit
3 hours -
Vote-buying allegations: Refer Ayawaso East incident to OSP — Mussa Dankwah tells Mahama
4 hours -
Government plots audacious 180,000-hectare coconut expansion to dominate global markets
4 hours -
AMA doubles sweepers’ wages to GH₵800
5 hours -
Ashie Moore admits defeat in war against vote buying
6 hours -
UniMAC mourns with family as student killed in road crash is laid to rest
6 hours -
Bribery scandal rocks NDC Ayawaso East primary as IMANI President demands total annulment
6 hours -
Pollster Mussa Dankwah reacts as Baba Jamal defies projections in NDC Ayawaso East Primary
6 hours -
Government to roll out Free Primary Healthcare in the first week of April
8 hours -
UPSA launches four new programmes
8 hours -
The price of inaction: Why we must invest now to end FGM in West, Central Africa
8 hours
