Barcelona flexed their muscle against Levante on Sunday evening.

The La Liga leaders won 5-0, extending their advantage over high-flying Sevilla to three points.

Lionel Messi was at his jaw-dropping best, scoring the 49th hat-trick of his career and also providing two assists for Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique.

Ernesto Valverde experimented with a new system, reverting to a 3-5-2 formation.

The surprise call was Ousmane Dembele being handed the right-wing back role, with Messi and Suarez up top.

Philippe Coutinho had to make do with a place on the bench, while Nelson Semedo was rested.

So how did Dembele get on? Well, he was pretty good, showcasing his willingness to defend for the team while also dazzling when breaking forward.

You can watch his full highlight reel below.

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7o3eRdbFRg

He's really beginning to look the real deal in a Barca shirt.

The fact Valverde trusts him to play in a more defensive role is testament to how he's working off the pitch.

While there has been uproar about his lateness to training, Dembele is clearly winning over everyone at the Nou Camp.

Last season, the trip to Levante was all that stopped Barca from going the entire league season unbeaten, with the Blaugrana losing 5-4 as Messi was rested.

"We are happy because last year we played here and conceded five after a whole season without losing," Valverde said at his post-match press conference, per Marca.

"That was only a few months ago, they are having a great season and they keep showing that."We remembered last year and we managed to put it behind us and leave with a clean sheet."

Levante have enjoyed a very good start to the season, sitting eighth in the table and already claiming a major scalp in Real Madrid this season - winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu.

But when Messi, Suarez and Dembele are on song, there's just no stopping Barca.