Levante find their life jackets

If you were looking for a tactical masterclass or a defensive clinic, you were in the wrong part of Valencia on Saturday. But if you wanted to see two desperate teams swinging wildly in the dark like a pair of middle-aged men fighting over the last discount television at a Black Friday sale, then the Ciudad de Valencia was the place to be.

Levante and Real Oviedo, currently occupying the basement of the Primera Division like a couple of damp boxes of Christmas decorations, decided that if they were going to go down, they were going to do it with as much chaos as humanly possible.

The festivities began early with Carlos Espí, a man who clearly has no respect for the seniority of Oviedo’s defenders, bagging a brace inside thirty minutes. For a while, it looked like Levante were actually a competent football team, a delusion that lasted exactly until the 44th minute. In a classic display of Levante-style generosity, they allowed Ilyas Chaira and Federico Viñas to turn a 2-0 lead into a 2-2 halftime stalemate in the blink of an eye.

The second half was a slightly different story, mostly because Real Oviedo decided that defending was an optional extracurricular activity they weren't interested in pursuing. Iker Losada restored the lead shortly after the break, and while Oviedo huffed and puffed with 62% possession, they had the cutting edge of a plastic spoon.

Iván Romero’s injury-time strike was the final nail in a coffin that Oviedo seems very intent on lying in. This wasn't just a win; it was a SURVIVAL statement from a Levante side that refused to die.

For Levante, the three points are absolute gold. They move to 25 points, putting them within touching distance of Alaves and safety. They are still in the muck, but at least their heads are above the water line for now.

As for Real Oviedo, the view from the bottom of the table remains unchanged. They are rooted to 20th place with 21 points and a goal difference that looks like a high-score in a video game. Unless they find a way to stop conceding goals like they're giving away free samples, their stay in the top flight is going to be a VERY short one.

Spectacular? Yes. High quality? Don't be ridiculous. But in the swamp of a relegation battle, Levante just proved they can swim a little faster than the anchors from Asturias.