La Liga round-up: Barcelona's perfect start to the 2015-16 Primera Division season came to an end in emphatic fashion on Wednesday as they crashed to a shock 4-1 defeat at Celta Vigo.
The treble-winners fell behind in the 26th minute when ex-Barca man Nolito notched his fifth goal of the campaign with a superb curling effort from the side of the box.
He then turned provider in the 30th, taking advantage of a Gerard Pique mistake by nodding the ball on to Iago Aspas, who burst forward before coolly chipping over Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The Celta pair combined again for the third on 56 minutes, Nolito once more helping the ball on as the hosts broke away and Aspas keeping calm when clean through to beat Ter Stegen.
And after Neymar pulled an 80th-minute goal back, substitute John Guidetti clipped in three minutes later as unbeaten Celta wrapped up another triumph over their former boss Luis Enrique — his worst league defeat in charge of Barca — to add to the win they registered at the Nou Camp last term.
Real Madrid later joined Celta on 13 points from five games — and in leapfrogging Barcelona — as Karim Benzema’s brace secured a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao.
Benzema’s first came in the 19th minute when he pounced upon a woefully under-hit attempted backpass by Mikel San Jose and finished with ease past Gorka Iraizoz.
Athletic were level in the 67th as the unmarked Sabin Merino sent a diving header past Keylor Navas, but three minutes later Benzema tapped in Isco’s cross for his sixth goal in five games in all competitions.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, struggling Levante snatched a point at the death as substitute Deyverson’s stoppage-time equaliser saw their home clash with Eibar finish 2-2.
The hosts, still without a win this season, had been 2-0 down thanks to a brace from Borja, the on-loan Atletico Madrid striker notching in 10th and 48th minutes.
But Jose Luis Morales reduced the deficit in the 52nd minute before Deyverson’s late leveller.
Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano beat 10-man Sporting Gijon 2-1 at home.
The visitors had Bernardo sent off for a second bookable offence when he handled in the area around five minutes before the interval, and Roberto Trashorras converted the resulting penalty.
Javi Guerra then made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half and although Jony replied for Sporting within a minute, the away side could not salvage a point from there.
