Sporting: Cuéllar; Douglas, Babín (Burgui 36‘), Jorge Meré, Amorebieta (Juan Rodríguez 63’), Isma López; Carmona, Sergio Álvarez, Rachid (Nacho Cases 35’), Moi Gómez; Duje Cop. 5-4-1.
Villarreal: Sergio Asenjo; Mario, Álvaro González, Víctor Ruiz, Jaume Costa; Jonathan Dos Santos, Bruno, Manu Trigueros, Roberto Soriano (Rodri 77’); Sansone (Santos Borré 81’), Alexandre Pato (Leo Suárez 88’). 4-4-2.
Goals:
0-1. 12. Dos Santos. Picked up Soriano centre and fired shot in to near top corner.
0-2. 19. Sansone. Ran ball over line after angled Pato shot deflected towards goal.
0-3. 74. Pato. Turned ball past Cuéllar on far post after Sansone crossed from left.
1-3. 89. Carmona. Looped header back over Asenjo after Bruno tried to clear.
Yellow cards: Roberto Soriano 40’, Amorebieta 55’, Nacho Cases 60’.
Villarreal hold on to fourth spot after a 1-3 win at Sporting Gijón in the Sunday lunchtime kick-off. With twenty minutes gone the visitors were already two up, Jonathan Dos Santos firing the first past Cuéllar from a Soriano cross, and Sansone running the ball over the line after Pato’s shot deflected off a defender towards goal. Abelardo made two changes before the break to try and get the match back on track, but Pato latched on to Sansone’s centre to make it three with a quarter of an hour to go, and although Carmona headed one back late on, the goal came too late to change the result.