Barcelona striker Luuk de Jong scored a header in extra time to give his side a 3–2 victory after a remarkable, end-to-end game at Levante, in which his team conceded three penalties.
Barca are the first team in LaLiga to win the match after conceding three penalties, and de Jong's last goal took them to second place in the standings with 60 points after 30 games, registering their seventh consecutive league win.
But they are still well behind leaders Real Madrid, who have 31 to 72 points after beating Getafe 2-0 at home on Saturday. Levante are in 19th place with 22 points.
Levante took a surprising but deserved lead against a lackluster Barca in the 52nd minute when captain Jose Luis Morales scored from the spot after a foul by Danny Alves.
Moments later the hosts earned a second penalty for a handball by Eric GarcÃa, who had prevented Levante from taking the lead in the first half when he saw Morales' shot over the line.
This time striker Roger Marty stepped in to take it and his effort was saved by Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The visitors quickly paid off Levante, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heading home a cross from Ousmane Dembele in the 59th minute.
Teenage midfielder Pedri gave Barca the lead in the 63rd, hitting a shot in the bottom corner for the first time after being pierced by 17-year-old Gavi, who was also taken off the bench in the second half.
Levante then won the third penalty of the second half when Dani Gomez caught a through ball and was tripped by Barca defender Clement Lenglet. Gonzalo Mellaro assumed the duties and scored a no-fault against Ter Stegen in the 83rd.
But it was time for a final turning point in a thrilling encounter when substitute de Jong Jordi linked up with an Alba cross and went to the bottom corner in the second minute of extra time.
"The fact that we have won three penalties shows that we are very competitive and have a winning mindset," said Barca coach Xavi.
"I was worried about this game because Levante is a tough side with great players and they have beaten teams like Villarreal and Atletico Madrid. We have earned three golden points that keep us in the fight."
But when pressed on whether Barca have a chance to catch fledgling leaders Real, the coach said: "It's very difficult because Real Madrid rarely slip. But if they get a few points in the next two weeks If you drop it, we can start to believe a little more."