Villarreal Maintains Pressure on Atletico While Valencia Secures Key Win
Villarreal secured a 2-1 victory over Elche on Sunday, staying close to Atletico Madrid in the race for third place in La Liga.
Following Atleticos win against Real Sociedad on Saturday, Marcelino Garcia Torals team, sitting in fourth, matched them on 54 points.
A bit lower along Spains east coast, Valencia overturned a deficit to defeat Alaves 3-2 in a game that might be pivotal for their survival push.
Goals from Tajon Buchanan and Santiago Mourino in the first half highlighted Villarreal's strong showing, though Andre Silva's late strike for Elche caused some anxious moments for the visitors.
"We eased off somewhat. We controlled proceedings until around the 70th minute, then we endured pressure right to the whistle, and that is unacceptable," Mourino commented to Movistar.
Villarreal created numerous opportunities early on, but Elche keeper Matias Dituro pulled off key stops to thwart Nicolas Pepe and Georges Mikautadze.
Elche began the campaign impressively yet have not triumphed in 2026 or on the road all season, dropping to 17th spot, just one point clear of relegation.
"With additional time, we might have equalised. We ended strongly, as we ought to have from the outset," Silva remarked.
"Once we conceded first, the squads spirit waned, and that is not acceptable."
Fifth placed Real Betis slipped back in the Champions League qualification chase after losing 2-0 away to Getafe.
Manuel Pellegrinis outfit now lags Villarreal by 11 points with 11 games left.
Kiko Femenia and Martin Satriano scored for Getafe during a positive spell for Jose Bordalass team, fresh off their Monday triumph over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The fixture halted briefly at the start due to a brawl among several away supporters in a home section. La Liga announced an inquiry into the event.
Valencia Prevails in Tense Encounter
Under Carlos Corberan, Valencia grabbed a late victory at home versus Alaves, thanks to Hugo Duros 99th minute penalty conversion.
Valencia rose to 12th, as Alaves sit 16th, two points from the bottom three.
On new manager Quique Sanchez Flores debut, Alaves went ahead via a second minute penalty by Lucas Boye, after Guido Rodriguez tripped Toni Martinez.
The contest featured opportunities for both teams in a chaotic yet engaging clash, with Valencia equalising early in the second period.
Javi Guerra slotted in coolly after Umar Sadiq set him up inside the area, lifting the crowd at Mestalla.
Boye headed Alaves ahead again with under 20 minutes to go, from Denis Suarezs corner.
Yet Eray Comert equalised for Valencia, before Duro earned and dispatched his spot kick to seal the points.
Alaves ended with nine players after Jon Pacheco and Ander Guevara received red cards post penalty, Pacheco for fouling Duro and Guevara for protesting.
"The group persisted and battled until the final whistle... the key is our full commitment," Duro said to Movistar.
Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano played out a 1-1 stalemate, leaving each satisfied with a point to stay clear of deeper troubles in the lower mid table.
The previous day, table topping Barcelona widened their lead over Real Madrid to four points via a 1-0 success at Athletic Bilbao.
Alvaro Arbeloas Madrid earned a dramatic 2-1 success at Celta Vigo on Friday, before Wednesdays tough Champions League clash with Pep Guardiolas Manchester City.