Iniesta and Messi combine to crush Levante

A ruthless Barcelona capitalised on Real Madrid's slip-up away at Betis to further widen the gap at the top. After a tight first half in which Levante put up a real fight, Tito Vilanova's men came racing out of the blocks after the break, conjuring up four goals in a devastating 18-minute spell. Iniesta scored one - a real screamer - and laid on the other three, including two for Leo Messi.
Barça's array of attacking talent struggled to pick its way past a well-drilled Levante backline in the first period. Indeed, only Valdes' fingertip save from a Barkero drive kept the scores level.
It was a different story after the break, though, as Iniesta and Messi ran riot. Two straight assists from Iniesta, the second of which was a moment of real brilliance, allowed Messi to add another brace to his incredible goalscoring tally for 2012. Now on 82, he is just three goals shy of Gerd Müller's record.
Provider turned scorer when Iniesta let fly from distance to make it 3-0, leaving Levante keeper Munúa with no chance. Then, yet another Iniesta pass played in Fàbregas, who sealed the rout after rounding the goalkeeper and sliding home from a tight angle. To add insult to injury, the hosts were denied a consolation goal when Valdés kept out a Barkero penalty with four minutes to go.
With the win, Barcelona equalled the best ever start to a Spanish top flight season - twelve wins and a draw in 13 games - a record that previously belonged to Real Madrid.