Barcelona are the only unbeaten side left in Europe’s top five leagues after they laid their Anoeta hoodoo to rest with a come-from-behind 4-2 win at Real Sociedad.
Having seen Manchester City finally beaten earlier in the day, Barca trailed 2-0 thanks to Willian Jose’s header and Juanmi’s deflected strike at a stadium where they had not won in 11 years.
Yet Paulinho pulled one back prior to the break and Luis Suarez then grabbed a brace – the first a tremendous chipped finish – which put the visitors ahead before Lionel Messi curled in a free-kick from distance five minutes from time.
Barca are nine points clear at the top of LaLiga after 19 games and remain unbeaten in the division since losing to Malaga last April.
Goal-shy Levante remain three points outside the relegation zone after suffering a 1-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo.
Pione Sisto scored the only goal of the game in the 37th minute, collecting a return pass from Iago Aspas and calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
Levante, who have scored just 15 goals in 19 league games this season, had numerous chances to equalise in the second half, but Emmanuel Boateng headed wide from Ivi’s cross and also sent a difficult half-volley off target five minutes from time.
And their day was summed up in injury time when Coke blazed over from just six yards out, allowing Celta to claim a second consecutive away win in the league.
Sevilla slipped to a fourth defeat in their past five LaLiga games as Manu Garcia’s second-half winner earned Alaves a 1-0 win.
Having lost just four of their opening 14 games in the division, Sevilla have now accrued only one point since beating Deportivo La Coruna on December 2.
New manager Vincenzo Montella saw his team fall behind in the 52nd minute when the visitors failed to clear a corner and Garcia took a touch before hooking his finish around Simon Kjaer and into the net.
The home side played the final eight minutes with 10 men after Ruben Duarte was given a second yellow card for tripping Ever Banega, but Sevilla could not muster an equaliser.
Athletic Bilbao came from behind to draw 1-1 at Espanyol and extend their unbeaten run to seven games.
The visitors had only lost one of their previous 10 games but were trailing 29 minutes in when Gerard Moreno squeezed his 11th goal of the season past Iago Herrerin from the edge of the box.
Yet Bilbao were behind for just six minutes as an unmarked Inaki Williams headed home Enric Saborit’s cross.
