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Real Madrid put in a performance that reminded the world exactly why they are the reigning champions of Spain. The early kick-off at La Estadio de la Ceramica was a replay of one of the three league defeats they faced last season.
The hosts ran out 2-1 winners back then, in what was a tense affair. Real Madrid came in battling ghosts of the past, hoping to get one up against this well-drilled Levante team.
In a match in which Real Madrid weren't dominant by any means, they pulled through with every individual carrying out the requisite tasks required of them.
The win secured the points needed to pip Barcelona (at the time of writing) to the top of La Liga. Vinicius Jr. gave them an early lead after being allowed all the time and space he needed to curl one past a fully stretched out Aitor.
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Thibaut Courtois and his backline kept Real Madrid in the lead for almost the entirety, until Karim Benzema fired in a second. He made a run from his own half and latched onto Rodrygo's beautifully-insicive pass to score his first goal of the season.
Here are the talking points from the win:
#1 Thibaut Courtois' hot streak
At the moment, the Real Madrid No. 1 can do no wrong, as he's producing save after save to keep the club's title fight very much alive at the opening stages of the season.
The challenge to his clean sheet was steady throughout the fixture, as Levante kept finding chances on the counter to pepper shots at Courtois. The Belgian, like so often in this past year, had an answer to everything thrown at him.
He put in a Man-of-the-Match display tonight to earn Real Madrid the three points in a game that could've been extremely difficult, like last year.
#2 Real Madrid's injury troubles
A major talking point before the game was the absence of a natural right-back in the Real Madrid squad tonight.
Dani Carvajal has recently been diagnosed with a Medial Collateral Ligament issue. Meanwhile, Alvaro Odriozola was found to have an issue in his left calf 24 hours before the squads were announced.
Real Madrid, obviously, have players who can step in. Ferland Mendy has played there on a couple of occasions for Zidane, as he fiddled with the idea of inverted full backs.
He also has the three-lunged Lucas Vasquez, who may not be a natural right-back but certainly has the work-rate necessary for the role. In his heyday, there would be no doubt that Nacho instantly slots in like he always has in seasons passed.
With him facing injury issues of his own over the last season and not really putting in any convincing displays when fit though, doubts have started to creep in over Nacho's value to the team in certain sections of the fanbase.
However, he squatted all that noise away tonight, putting in a solid shift and letting very little get past him at right-back against a pacey Levante counter scheme.
#3 250 up for Big Benz
Karim Benzema is a bit of an afterthought for most when it comes to the discussion about the best strikers of the past decade. Most of it was because he has played with the best player in the world for a lot of his career in Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since Ronaldo's departure, Karim has blossomed into a natural leader of the attack and the only person guaranteed a starting spot, other than the back four and the goalkeeper.
He's been consistent over the past two seasons and the biggest attacking threat in Real's arsenal. The team cannot even fathom trying to compete for silverware without him.
Tonight he reached the elusive 250-goal mark for Real Madrid, joining a very exclusive club including some of the best players to have ever kicked a ball.
Despite being in his early thirties - he turns 33 in December - Benzema currently looks like the best version of himself. With the physical demands surely not looking like too steep a mountain to climb for the French magician, he could keep this up at least until the end of next season, or maybe more.
#4 Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric's replacements
This match made it pretty clear that there is one man at the back without whom the whole thing could come crashing down. Sergio Ramos has been a bit of a late bloomer, truly coming into his own after Spain's World Cup triumph in 2010. Since then, there's been no looking back as it's been accolade after accolade for the Spain and Real Madrid captain.
Every crucial game that Ramos has missed throughout the years, like the recent comedy of errors against Manchester City in the Champions League, sees Real Madrid tend to struggle quite a bit.
He showed again tonight why he's undoubtedly one of the key cogs in the Real Madrid machine.
Another man who makes the team tick a lot better, though the reliance on him has started to wane since the arrival of Valverde, is Luka Modric. He has certainly fallen of his peak.
Real Madrid need to find replacements for these two, and they need to find them fast. The squad is good for now, but with both of these players above 34, it's better to start looking while it's not a necessity yet.
Real need to brace for the impact as these two legends of the game grow less influential for the club in the upcoming seasons.
#5 VAR denies Real Madrid more goals
Another big talking point tonight was the use of VAR, as the technology's usage became even more unclear.
Sergio Ramos appeared to have nodded Real Madrid's second goal of the night in the 70th minute. Luka Modric curled in a spectacular free kick begging for any contact and Captain Marvelous answered that call. However, he appeared to have knocked down Ruben Vezo whilst doing so.
The goal should most certainly have been chalked out, and it was. The decision given by the officials was offside, but Sergio Ramos ran in from deep to connect with the cross. The decision was another truly baffling one that left more than a lot of heads being scratched.
