Villarreal beat Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga on Monday, putting on a dominant display at home that pushed them into contention for Europe's elite competition. Goals by Georges Mikautadze, Nicolas Pepe and Alberto Moleiro, bolstered by an own goal by Jose Salinas, brought the Yellow Submarine to 45 points.
Following a run of five games without a win in January, Villarreal got back on track in emphatic fashion. The home side showed quality that had been missing in recent weeks, with the match effectively decided by halftime. Ten minutes before the break, after a couple of last-ditch blocks, it was a corner that Georges Mikautadze converted to give the home side the lead. Villarreal doubled their lead three minutes before the break as Salinas turned Moleiro's square-ball into his own net. The floodgates opened after the restart as Pepe made it three less than five minutes into the second half when he danced past a challenge on the edge of the box and rifled low across the goalkeeper with his left foot. Moleiro then got in on the act in the 55th minute with a fine curling finish.
A fourth consecutive defeat for Espanyol meant the Catalans trail fifth-placed Betis by four points but are still in position to qualify for the UEFA Conference League — albeit with just a one-point lead on chasing Celta Vigo. Espanyol has not won since before Christmas and has gone six matches without a win in the league. Monday's result marked the first time this season it conceded four goals in a game. Leandro Cabrera's late consolation goal for the visitors stopped Villarreal leapfrogging Atletico into third place. Meanwhile, U.S. men's national team fullback Alex Freeman made his Villarreal debut in the dominant victory, coming on as a substitute in the final stages of a match that was already decided.
Villarreal has moved into joint third place in LaLiga after a 4-1 victory over Espanyol on Monday. The Rojiblancos still remain third with a superior goal difference of just one compared to Villarreal's, however the chasers boast a game in hand on Diego Simeone's side. This win restores confidence heading into a busy stretch of fixtures as the push for Champions League qualification intensifies across Spain's top division.