Thierry Henry opened his Primera Liga account in style, scoring a hat-trick to lead Barcelona to a thrashing 4-1 away victory over Levante on Saturday. Barcelona outclassed the hosts, just like they did three days ago when they produced an entertaining display to thrash Real Zaragoza 4-1. The Catalan giants are temporarily in charge of the league table with 14 points, one ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who take on Getafe on Sunday. Henry, who arrived from Arsenal in the close season, opened the scoring in the 18th minute when he poked into an empty net after Xavi's initial half-volley was blocked by keeper Marco Storari.
The French striker combined with Argentinean sensation Lionel Messi to launch wave of attacks on the hapless team. Henry doubled the lead in the 25th minute after he latched on to Messi's deft pass to go one-on-one and slot into the far corner. The pacy striker killed off Levante's hopes four minutes after re-start, controlling Deco's deflected pass and drilling past Storari. Messi completed the rout two minutes later following a brilliant individual effort. He controlled a long ball in the right, burst into the area and sidestepped a defender before slotting home. Emilio Viqueira scored the consolation for Levante in the 73rd minute from the penalty spot.
