Óskarsson's early strike and a Sociedad grip on the ball

Real Sociedad beat Levante 2-1 at Anoeta after an early goal, while Levante managed far fewer chances than usual.

Orri Steinn Óskarsson gave Real Sociedad the lead inside six minutes at Anoeta, and it was not long before Levante answered. Nacho Pérez levelled at 22 minutes, but Beñat Turrientes put the home side back in front five minutes later, and that was how it stayed. Nobody was sent off, so both sides played at full strength throughout and the three goals decided the match.

Possession, the share of the ball each side keeps, is where the match looks least like the usual pattern. Sociedad had 61% of it, while at home this season they average 49.7%. Levante were the reverse, holding 39% when their away average is 43.1%. For a side that is not usually on top of the ball, that is a real jump, and it came against a visitor who normally keeps more of it.

Their chances were better than usual too. Sociedad took 17 shots, against a home average of 14.2, and 13 of them came from inside the penalty area. Expected goals, a rough measure of how good each chance was, reached 2.44, where they normally average 1.48. Only three of those shots were on target, and Óskarsson alone had seven attempts, converting one of them.

Levante made just six attempts, well below the 11.7 they average away from home, and their expected goals of 0.7 sat under their usual 1.07. Even so, they were the side who levelled, and Nacho Pérez's finish came from a pass by Thiago Cruz Fernandez. A team with fewer chances than usual still found the net, which is the sort of result that flatters a side on the day.

The goals themselves were not unusual by either side's standards. Sociedad's two matched their home average, and Levante's two conceded were close to what they normally let in. Three goals in the match is a little under the league's average of 3.1 per game. Levante picked up three yellow cards to Sociedad's one, though both sides committed 13 fouls.

Beñat Turrientes is the clearest example of a player who turned a good afternoon into a result. He scored Sociedad's second, set up by Gonçalo Guedes, and his rating of 8.2 reflects a contribution that went beyond the goal. Óskarsson's early strike, meanwhile, was the moment that shaped everything after it.

Sociedad sit fifth in the table with 16 points from nine matches. Levante are 13th on 10 points from the same number of games.

Player of the matchBeñat Turrientes1 goal8.2

O. Óskarsson1 goal7.7

Barrenetxea3 chances created7.2

Jon Gorrotxategi1 chance created7.2