Villarreal welcomed Sevilla to El Madrigal and managed to halt their form slump and secure the three points with a 2-1 win.
Both teams started the first half with high energy and both looking to hit on the counter-attack. Villarreal, not wanting to treat their fans to a repeat of last week’s dour 0-0 draw, tried to find their shooting boots early with four shots in the opening three minutes. Sevilla were more measured and had a penalty claim turned down after Kevin Gameiro went down in the area under pressure from Victor Ruiz.
The Yellow Submarine would open the scoring in the 25th minute. Denis Suarez put in a corner that barely beat the first man, but with Sevilla unable to clear the danger Mario Gaspar pounced to poke the ball past an unlucky Sergio Rico.
The first half closed out with the home team on top and the second opened in a similar vein.
Villarreal would double their lead on the hour mark. Roberto Soldado battled for a ball and managed to play the ball through to an onrushing Mario on the right flank. He would get the ball across the face of goal to find an unmarked Denis Suarez, who played the ball to an unmarked Cedric Bakambu for the tap-in.
It took fifteen minutes more minutes for Sevilla to hit back with what was their first shot on target. Yevhen Konoplyanka flew down the left side and put the ball into the home box to substitute Fernando Llorente, who did what he does best and headed the ball into the back of the net.
Sevilla pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but it almost could have been Villarreal to extend the lead. Jonathon Dos Santos received a ball from a clearance that sent him clear and he played the ball on to Denis Suarez whose sweet strike cannoned off the crossbar.
The Red and Whites continued to push forward but were unable to put the ball past Alphonse Areola in the Villarreal goal for the equalizer.
Villarreal
Alphonse Areola – 6.5: Had very little to do until having to pick the ball out of his own net. Made two smart stops from Konoplyanka and Llorente following that to keep his team in the lead.
Jaume Costa – 7.5: Had a field day on the left side bounding up and down the line.
Victor Ruiz – 7: Solid and composed in the heart of defence. Never looked like succumbing to any of Sevilla’s pressure.
Eric Bailly – 6: Picked up an early yellow card and worried fans with some strong tackles after that. Stretchered off the field late on is a worrying sign for a team low on central defenders.
Mario Gaspar – 8: Scored the first goal and set up the second. Looked very comfortable with the defensively able Dos Santos ahead of him.
Denis Suarez – 8: Villarreal’s best on ground who troubled Sevilla with everything he did. Could have topped his performance off with a goal but denied by the woodwork.
Bruno Soriano – 7: Solid, if unspectacular, from the skipper.
Manu Trigueros – 6: Played well in combination with his captain in the middle of the park. Never truly found his passing range and was removed on 65 minutes.
Jonathon Dos Santos – 7.5: Dangerous when he was on the ball and work rate personified when he was off it.
Cedric Bakambu – 7: His work rate cannot be questioned and he ran every minute until being taken off to an ovation at the 72-minute mark.
Roberto Soldado – 6: Struggled to impact the game outside of his pass which began the movement for the second goal.
Substitutes
Tomas Pina – 6: 25 minutes on the field included a lot of defensive work which he did admirably.
Mathias Nahuel – 5: Did not make an impact in his 20-minute cameo.
Daniele Bonera – N/A – Came on with seven minutes remaining.
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