Villarreal
Alphonse Areola – 7: Was peppered in the final 20 minutes but controlled his area well. Very little to do prior to that.
Bojan Jokic – 6.5: A calm display but not one that will see him overtake Costa in the pecking order.
Eric Bailly – 7: A performance filled with youthful exuberance. The young Ivorian defended well but his runs out of the back could have been calamitous for his team.
Mario Gaspar – 6.5: The more solid presence next to Bailly. Controlled the back line.
Antonio Rukavina – 7: Pushed forward well in support of Samuel. Dealt with Malaga’s breaks well.
Denis Suarez – 7: Delivered the free kick for the goal but will need to see more from the Spanish youth international in the future.
Jonathon Dos Santos – 7.5: All-action performance from the Mexican. Played his passes well and made some decent challenges. Replaced by Trigueros at the 67 minute mark.
Tomas Pina – 6.5: Covered a lot of the pitch and was a calming influence in the middle of the park. Replaced by Bruno on 61 minutes.
Samuel Garcia – 6.5: A lot of dangerous running for the former Malaga player. Lacked end product.
Adrian Lopez – N/A: Substituted on nine minutes with a thigh problem.
Leo Baptistao – 7: Unlucky not to score. Threatened throughout the first half and opening of the second but dropped off towards the end.
Substitues
Nahuel Leiva – 7: Did well to get into the game so early. Should have scored with Villarreal’s best chance in the first half.
Bruno Sorriano – 6: Brought on to control the middle and slow the pace of the game.
Manu Trigueros – 6: Similar to Bruno. Will be hoping for more minutes next time out.
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