After knocking Premier League giants Man United out of the Europa League in midweek, Sevilla recorded another impressive win against sixth-place Villarreal.
The Andalusians are six games unbeaten since the arrival of coach Jose Luis Mendilibar and are far more solid than his predecessor Jorge Sampaoli, having risen eight points from the bottom three to reach 12th place.
Rafa Mir put Mendilibar’s resurgent team ahead in the first half, but Villarreal defender Pau Torres fired past him from close range.
Jesus Navas came close to a winner for Sevilla with a low drive, before An-Nesri, who netted twice against United, sent Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan into rapture again in the 94th minute.
Valencia picked up a comfortable 2–0 win on the road against Elche, but remain in the relegation zone in 18th place, as they have a poor record with 17th-placed Almería.
Getafe’s 3-1 defeat by Mallorca left Madrid in 16th place, just one point above Almería and Valencia.