Villarreal down Elche to stay on Atletico's tail

Villarreal kept their grip on La Liga’s third place firmly in sight by defeating Elche 2-1 on Sunday, matching city rivals Atletico Madrid on 54 points after 27 rounds. First-half strikes from Tajon Buchanan and Santiago Mourino capped a commanding display at the Estadio de la Cerámica, before Andre Silva’s late reply set up a nervy finale.

The Yellow Submarine flew out of the blocks, pinning Elche deep and fashioning a flurry of chances. Nicolas Pepe and Georges Mikautadze both forced smart stops from visiting goalkeeper Matias Dituro, but the breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute when Buchanan slotted home after a sweeping move. Mourino doubled the advantage ten minutes later, heading in at the far post to put Marcelino García Toral’s side in cruise control.

Elche, winless in 2026 and still searching for an away victory this campaign, offered little until Silva pounced with 12 minutes remaining. The goal injected belief into the strugglers, yet Villarreal held firm to preserve a victory that maintains the pressure on third-placed Atletico, who had beaten Real Sociedad 24 hours earlier.

“We relaxed a bit; until the 70th minute we were dominating the game, then we suffered until the end and that can’t happen,” admitted Mourino post-match.

Elche remain 17th, one point above the relegation places. “After letting in the first goal the team dropped in morale and we can’t do that,” Silva lamented.

Elsewhere, Real Betis’ top-four hopes took a hit as Getafe earned a 2-0 win courtesy of Kiko Femeniá and Martin Satriano. Manuel Pellegrini’s side now trail Villarreal by 11 points with 11 matches left. Getafe, fresh from Monday’s shock triumph over Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, continue their resurgence under José Bordalás.

Later fixtures see Sevilla host Rayo Vallecano and Alavés visit Valencia, while Saturday’s action saw Barcelona restore a four-point lead over Real Madrid at the summit after a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.