Levante 1 - Villarreal 2

Levante: Kujovic; Manolo Gaspar, Alvaro, Armando, David; Miguel Angel, Berson (Javi Fuego 86'); Juanma (Arveladze 85'), Riga, Pedro León (Iborra 72'); Geijo. 4-2-3-1.
Villarreal: Diego López; Javi Venta, Gonzalo, Godín, Capdevila; Eguren (Cani 73'), Marcos Senna; Cazorla, Nihat, Mati Fernández (Pires 68'); Tomasson (Guille Franco 79'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Levante: Manolo Gaspar, Alvaro, Miguel Angel, Pedro León for Descarga, José Serrano, Javi Fuego, Rubiales / Villarreal: Cazorla for Pires.

Goals:
0-1. 27. Mati Fernández. Picked up Tomasson pass and shot from outside area.
1-1. 64. Miguel Angel. Headed inside near post after Juanma hooked ball across.
1-2. 82. Guille Franco. Took short Pires pass and beat defender to score.

Villarreal are not out of the running for the title yet, and they stay two points behind Barça after a 1-2 win at neighbours Levante, who themselves stay firmly anchored at the foot of the table. The game got off to a lively start, with Kujovic saving from Nihat, Pedro León hitting the post with a long shot and Geijo having a strike ruled out for offside. Mati Fernández fired the visitors into the lead with just under half an hour on the clock, but Riga wasted a couple of chances to equalise before the break.

Diego López had to save from Pedro León and Juanma shot just wide before the locals equalised twenty minutes in to the second half, Miguel Angel steering a header wide of the keeper after Juanma hooked the ball across goal. Substitute Guille Franco got the winner for Villarreal though soon after coming on, picking up a short pass from Pires and leaving a defender for dead before shooting across Kujovic. Pellegrini's side have now won five of their last seven games, and they are starting to close the gap on the top two.