Levante 2-4 Barcelona: fewer shots, but four goals
AI-written review based on match data · How we make it
Key numbers
- xG 2.42 vs 2.58: chance quality was level
- 85 minutes ahead, lead of up to three goals
- 13 shots conceded vs season average of 6
Barcelona in front for 85 minutes
Barcelona led for 85 minutes, going three goals clear through two first-half strikes and a Lamine Yamal penalty early in the second period. Levante hauled it back to 2-3 late on, but Karim Adeyemi's goal in the 90th minute ended the rally and settled a match that had been Barcelona's from the opening stages.
Plenty of the ball, fewer shots than usual
Barcelona had more of the ball than their season average across five matches, yet 12 shots fell well short of their norm. They also faced 13, far more than usual. Control did not mean volume here: the possession did not turn into the usual pile of attempts, and Levante were allowed far more chances than Barcelona's season figures would suggest.
Levante sharper than their season norm
Levante's xG of 2.42 was well above their season average of 1.3 (four matches), and their shots carried more value each time than usual. Better chances, fewer touches is how the numbers read: Iván Romero, a substitute, and Roger Brugué, who scored in the 79th and 88th minutes, put every one of their shots on target.
The opener that took the pressure off
Xavi Espart's fifth-minute opener was worth +0.4 FN xPts, because it put Barcelona in front so early and let the match run on their terms. By contrast, Levante's goal in the 79th minute came with the visitors three clear and was worth next to nothing in FN xPts. The match was decided early; the late rally only trimmed the scoreline.
Player of the match
Xavi Espart 8.5Dominant
Six tackles and nine of 12 duels won across 80 minutes, plus the fifth-minute opener.
Espart had the highest FN Score in the match, earning most of it through defending. His goal in the fifth minute set Barcelona on the way to 85 minutes in front. He also completed 47 of his 51 passes, so a defender who kept winning duels was also keeping the ball moving. He was replaced in the 80th minute, one minute after Levante's first goal.
Game state
0-10-20-31-32-32-4
Levante ahead 0 min · level 5 min · Barcelona ahead 85 min
- Iván Romero — off the bench 31 min · 1G 0A
- Marc Bernal — off the bench 24 min · 0G 1A
- Karim Adeyemi — off the bench 23 min · 1G 0A
FN xPts — what each moment was worth
How much each moment changed that team's expected points (win 3, draw 1). A goal's value is credited 70% to the scorer and 30% to the assist.
5'
Xavi Espart
Goal · scorer +0.3 · assist Raphinha +0.1
+0.4
19'
Lamine Yamal
Goal · assist Raphinha
+0.2
48'
Lamine Yamal
Pen goal
+0.1
79'
Iván Romero
Goal
0.0
88'
Roger Brugué
Goal
+0.1
90'
Karim Adeyemi
Goal · assist Marc Bernal
+0.1
Levante
Expected (last two seasons) 0.6Own moments +0.1Opponent moments −0.6Time effect −0.1→ League points won 0
Barcelona
Expected (last two seasons) 2.2Own moments +0.8Opponent moments −0.1Time effect +0.1→ League points won 3
Expected points don't add up to a fixed total (a draw is 1 + 1), so an opponent's moment isn't simply the mirror of your loss. "Time effect" is the change as the clock runs down on a lead or a chase, and isn't credited to any player.
How FN Score and FN xPts work →
Match stats
LevanteBarcelona
2.42Expected goals (xG)2.58
Compared with usual
Levante
4 matches this season, all competitions baseline
| This match | Avg | |
|---|
| Goals | 2 | 1.3 | |
| Conceded | 4 | 1.3 | |
| xG | 2.42 | 1.3 | |
| xG against | 2.58 | 1.4 | |
| Shots | 13 | 11.3 | |
| On target | 7 | 3.5 | |
| Shots faced | 12 | 14.5 | |
| xG per shot | 0.19 | 0.1 | |
| Possession | 25% | 44.3% | |
| Passes | 245 | 378.3 | |
| Pass accuracy | 70% | 82.5% | |
| Corners | 3 | 3.5 | |
| Fouls | 11 | 9.8 | |
Barcelona
5 matches this season, all competitions baseline
| This match | Avg | |
|---|
| Goals | 4 | 4.4 | |
| Conceded | 2 | 0.6 | |
| xG | 2.58 | 3.9 | |
| xG against | 2.42 | 0.71 | |
| Shots | 12 | 21.6 | |
| On target | 6 | 9 | |
| Shots faced | 13 | 6 | |
| xG per shot | 0.22 | 0.22 | |
| Possession | 75% | 67.6% | |
| Passes | 780 | 677.6 | |
| Pass accuracy | 91% | 89.8% | |
| Corners | 5 | 6 | |
| Fouls | 11 | 9 | |
Timeline
- 5'
Goal
Xavi Espart league goal #1 assist Raphinha
- 19'
Goal
Lamine Yamal league goal #5 assist Raphinha
- 29'
VAR
Daniel Requena
- 45+1'
Yellow
Gerard Martín
- 45+5'
Yellow
Hugo Sotelo
- 46'
Sub
Gerard Martín → Andreas Christensen
- 48'
Goal
Lamine Yamal (pen) league goal #6
- 59'
Sub
Jon Ander Olasagasti → Enzo Bardeli
- 59'
Sub
Petar Ratkov → Iván Romero
- 60'
Sub
Hugo Sotelo → Oriol Rey
- 66'
Sub
Pedri → Marc Bernal
- 66'
Sub
Lamine Yamal → Dani Olmo
- 67'
Sub
Anthony Gordon → Karim Adeyemi
- 71'
Sub
Adrián de la Fuente → Ifeanyi Ndukwe
- 71'
Sub
Manuel Sánchez → Nacho Pérez
- 79'
Goal
Iván Romero league goal #1
- 80'
Sub
Xavi Espart → João Cancelo
- 88'
Goal
Roger Brugué league goal #3
- 90'
Goal
Karim Adeyemi league goal #2 assist Marc Bernal
Category leaders
- Key passesRaphinha3
- Duels wonXavi Espart9/12
- DribblesJon Ander Olasagasti4/5
- Defensive actionsAïssa Mandi6
- ShotsRoger Brugué3 (on target 3)
- Fouls wonVíctor García3
#Levante#Barcelona#La Liga#Lamine Yamal#Xavi Espart
This review was written by AI from match data (API-Football). FN Score and FN xPts are calculated by Fulltime Note using a published formula.