Villarreal: Areola; Mario, Bonera, Víctor Ruíz, Adrián Marín; Samu Castillejo (Leo Baptistao 46‘), Tomás Pina (Manu Trigueros 70‘), Bruno, Denis Suárez; Adrián López (Bakambu 68‘), Soldado. 4-4-2.
Las Palmas: Javi Varas; David García, Lemos, Bigas, Garrido; Montoro, Momo (Angel 82‘), Nili (David Simón 63‘), Jonathan Viera, El Zhar; Willian José (Araujo 68‘). 4-2-3-1.
Goals:
0-1. 30. David García. Looped header past Areola after Jonathan Viera crossed in.
Yellow cards: Soldado 31’, Lemos 53’, Montoro 60’.
Fourth placed Villarreal are now seven points adrift of Real Madrid after they surprisingly lost 0-1 at home to Las Palmas on Saturday evening. Marcelino’s side were unbeaten in fourteen games, and Adrián López and Soldado both failed to covert chances early on. With half an hout gone though David García looped a header past Areola after Jonathan Viera crossed in from Montoro’s short corner, the defender’s first league goal in over 400 games. Soldado, Leo Baptistao and in particular Bakambu failed to find the target in the second half, and with the game coming to close Javi Varas made the save of the day from Denis Suárez. But the Canary Islanders held on for their third victory in a row which takes them four points clear of the drop zone pending the rest of the weekend fixtures.