Copa del Rey 2018/19, Barcelona 3-0 Levante: 5 Talking Points

Barcelona hosted Levante in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey Round of 16 tie, and the visitors had won the first leg 2-1 in their stadium.

But it was not enough, as Ernesto Valverde's side comfortably won 3-0 to book their passage to the next round.

Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets were rested for the game, along with goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

Lionel Messi started the game though and was involved in all the goals. He played Ousmane Dembele in after 30 minutes, and the ball was in the back of the net after a fortuitous deflection.

Messi set up Dembele again, and the Frenchman rounded off the goalkeeper before scoring with a scuffed finish.

Barcelona was comfortable going into the interval after the two quickfire goals. Messi rounded off the scoring in the second half when he latched on to Nelson Semedo's pass to chip the goalkeeper.

Levante will definitely rue the chances they missed in the first leg, and Barcelona was guilty of the same here.

It was a routine home victory for Barcelona in the end. Here are the major talking points from the game.

Also see : Gold Cup Standings, Copa America Standings, Womens World Cup Bracket

#5 Levante will complain to the Federation about Barca's ineligible player

In the first leg of the tie, Barcelona fielded defender Chumi, who is a regular in the Barcelona B side. He played 58 minutes of the match, but he should have been suspended. Chumi had picked up his fifth yellow card in the Segunda Division B, which should have resulted in a ban.

Levante president Quico Catalan vowed to make an official complaint, irrespective of the result of the second leg.

"It is not an easy situation, us sporting people like to win on the pitch," Catalan told reporters before kick-off.

"Whatever happens, Levante will go before the federation with this situation tomorrow. There will be a complaint if we do not qualify. And if we do, there will be a report to the federation to explain what has happened."

As it stands, Barcelona are through to the quarter-finals, though that could change in the coming days if the complaint is made and addressed.

#4 Barcelona overturn the deficit to stay on course for a record fifth Copa del Rey

Valverde's is on course for another successful season

Last season, Barcelona became the first side to reach a fifth consecutive Copa del Rey final in history. This season, they can better that. If they defend their title, they will become the first side to win a fifth consecutive title.

After the first leg in Levante, progressing in the tournament was far from a certainty. Especially after Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla failed to win their games earlier in the day. But Barcelona eased past Levante, and are through to the quarter-finals.

Now Barcelona have a realistic chance of winning all trophies this season, and they have won the Spanish Super Cup already.

The LaLiga and the Champions League will undoubtedly be their priority, but the Copa del Rey is no minnow. It is the oldest competition in Spain, after all.

#3 Levante a shadow of their side from the first leg

Levante claimed a 2-1 win in the first leg, which was mightily impressive even after considering that Barcelona had fielded a weak team. Buoyed on by the raucous home crowd, they were 2-0 up early on, only to concede from a late Philippe Coutinho penalty.

Despite the late away goal for Barca, Paco Lopez went into the Camp Nou holding a slender lead.

But Levante capitulated against Barcelona, and the outcome was never in doubt once Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring. The visitors failed to put up any kind of resistance and lacked attacking incision.

They mustered just one effort on target, and never looked like breaching Jasper Cillessen's goal. This game was a chance for Levante to make something of their season, but now it seems as though they will disappear into the oblivion that is the mid-table proceedings.

#2 False nine is a good alternative in Suarez's absence

Luis Suarez is one of the most valuable players at Ernesto Valverde's disposal. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of an outright backup for the Uruguayan.

Munir El Haddadi was the only alternative, and he was sold to Sevilla. This made the need for an alternative option to reduce Suarez even greater.

Lionel Messi played as a 'false nine' against Levante, flanked on either side by Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

It worked splendidly, as Barcelona scored three goals with ease. Messi set up two goals for Dembele and added the third himself. The interplay between the front three was brilliant to watch.

Suarez will replace Coutinho in Barca's strongest side, but Valverde will be glad to know that his backup plan works. As the Champions League draws nearer, it will come in handy to rest his star striker.

#1 Dembele growing into his role with every passing game

Dembele opened the scoring for Barcelona

Ousmane Dembele looked set to star for Barca when the season commenced. But then Philippe Coutinho took over his place for a short period of time. He was also condemned for having a poor attitude and habits. But he has bounced back and is getting better with every passing game.

His talent was never in doubt, he always had tons of it. The only variable was his commitment and decision-making.

Often, he used to go on a mazy run, only to give the ball away cheaply at the end of it. That still happens at times now, but the occurrences are waning.

Dembele used his pace and trickery to great effect against Levante. He combined with Messi well, making runs in behind when the Argentine dropped deep.

As Barcelona embark upon their quest for multiple trophies, Dembele's contributions will be of the utmost importance.

Edited by Alan John