A point that increased the cushion on Real Madrid to six was taken by Atlético del Ciutat de València, in a duel corresponding to the second day of the League.
The leader still has a postponed match, against Athletic de Marcelino, to find out what his real advantage is.
Simeone's team had an uncomfortable visit from which they could only extract boards because they lacked skill and a little more fang in the final meters.
Levante made its game.
He stood stony and hit when he could.
With that he gave to cut the intention of his rival to give another blow of authority to the championship.
Atlético had to negotiate a match from patience.
Be more dominating than you like.
He had no choice because one of the virtues of Levante is that they play very well at the retreat and the meteoric exit.
He rolls the two lines of four, paces himself like an accordion so as not to reveal himself, and pulls out the stinger as soon as he detects a space to explode.
The ball belonged to Atlético until he was fed up because he also recovered it very quickly.
Between the fact that Levante did not want her and did little to pass, the leader was forced to do an exhaustive exercise of the ball.
And he was moving it well until he tried drilling in the immediate vicinity of the area.
For a moment it seemed that Paco López's team was willing to let Atlético swell to score lateral centers.
In one of them, the first time Marcos Llorente made the baseline his own, Luis Suárez turned his neck at the peak of the small area so that the header drew a parabola that plummeted two feet from Aitor Fernández's post.
LEV
1
-
1
ATM
Levante Aitor, Róber, Postigo, Miramón, Clerc, Jorge De Frutos (Son, min. 81), Morales (Dani Gómez, min. 69), Radoja (Óscar Duarte, min. 45), Malsa, Roger (Vezo, min. 81 ) and Enis Bardhi (Rochina, min. 85) AtléticoOblak, Mario Hermoso, Giménez, Savic, Carrasco (João Félix, min. 65), Vrsaljko (Kondogbia, min. 45), Saúl, Koke (Lucas Torreira, min. 80) , Marcos Llorente, Correa (Vitolo, min. 80) and Luis Suárez
Goals1-0 min.
16: Enis Bardhi.
1-1 min.
36: Marcos Llorente.
Referee José Luis Munuera Montero Yellow cards Saúl (min. 25), Savic (min. 41), Jorge De Frutos (min. 44) and Kondogbia (min. 50)
Another ball that seemed to be going nowhere because it was raised due to a poor control of the Uruguayan was dynamite when it fell because he turned it into a corner volley.
Suárez is being denied a goal, but not because he is not usually where it is cooked.
The same in a rejection as in a scissor impaling head drop.
Atlético can't beat Levante (1-1)
Levante was unfazed by the monopoly of the ball that it granted to Atlético.
Cartesian already waiting for a boy to stretch out.
And this arrived at the quarter of an hour, when Giménez ate an anticipation before De Frutos to break the false lethargy that he simulated.
The play was led and given by a footballer who has shown himself to be one of the best band players so far in the championship.
He released the ball at the exact moment for Bardhi, alienated from second forward, to beat Oblak with his excellent touch.
The goal was the perfect culmination of Paco López's plan.
A scratch the first time he had.
Nothing like the inactivity of the greyhound Morales, who took more than half an hour to cross the divide on the run, to reflect that the game was played in one direction.
Saúl and Suárez unsuccessfully rushed Aitor Fernández.
Llorente, goal and into the lane
Atlético found the tie in one of the lots that remained to be tested to bring down the granota dam.
In a corner kick played short, Llorente was outlined from left to right until he was able to release a shoe that swallowed the Levante goal because Clerc deflected it with his head.
Another goal from Llorente, who would be awaited by the lane again after the break.
The position delay occurred because Simeone entered Kondogbia for Vrsaljko.
Atlético remained bossy, determined to pocket those three points that gave more realism to the cushion of points over their pursuers.
An ex officio maneuver by Suárez, an inward cut in the front linked to a low left foot, took it out as Aitor Fernández could.
The clearance fell frankly to Correa.
A beaten goalkeeper, with no other obstacle than the back net, sent his shot from inside over the crossbar.
That mistake seemed to be the game for Atlético, which barely generated chances.
One of Luis Suárez passing the reappeared João Félix was his last real flash.
The Levante even dared to stretch out more often.
Oblak took two hands from Clerc that would have tightened the classification more.
Atlético stretched their lead to six points.
Less than desired.