An inspired second half from Panathinaikos was enough to see the Athenian giants emerge victorious from their tussle with Levadiakos, 3-0, Sunday at the OAKA Spiros Louis.
The hosts struck three times in a ten-minute span midway through the second half, turning a tense affair into a comfortable win.
In truth, the proceedings were anything but closely contested. The Athenians were the only side that showed any real attacking purpose, with Levadiakos content to sit back and pack the defensive third. The lack of ambition eventually caught up with the visitors, as Pana turned on the style and their quality in front of goal.
Still, despite dominating possession and creating a flurry of gilt-edged opportunities early on, Nikos Nioplias' men failed to produce a first-half breakthrough.
Gilberto Silva came close just past the quarter-hour mark, heading narrowly wide from Sebastian Leto's corner, before the Argentine saw his shot from a promising position blocked.
Leto then created space and expertly picked out Djibril Cisse, whose turning volley flashed just wide of the target.
The striker would come even closer on 27 minutes as he prodded against the post from Stergos Marinos' inviting cross.
The pressure continued to grow, with Giorgos Karagounis stinging the palms of Srdan Blazic, who did well to parry the midfielder's rasping drive over the crossbar.
The final chance of the half fell to Cedric Kante - quite literally - from a Karagounis corner, but the central defender could only direct his header wide.
What the hosts could not manage in the first half they accomplished relatively easily in the second. On 64 minutes Marinos crossed enticingly for Dimitris Salpingidis, who made no mistake from close range, slotting past Blazic.
The floodgates then opened, as Leto doubled his side's advantage just seven minutes later, beating Blazic with a powerful shot from a tight angle.
In full flow, Pana added a third shortly after, essentially sealing the result. Salpingidis won a penalty after he was brought down in the area, and Cisse scored on a rebound after Blazic saved his initial spot kick.
Three goals were more than enough on an afternoon in which Alexandros Tzorvas' net remained largely untested, as the hosts reaffirmed their position atop the Greek Super League standings.
