Marcelino’s Villarreal entered the clash winless in three league games, while Real Betis, buoyed by their three-match unbeaten streak, were looking to register a third consecutive away victory.
Despite a bright start from the hosts, led by Gerard Moreno upfront, the Verdiblancos struck first blood. A swift team move down the left saw Abde Ezzalzouli deliver a pinpoint cross, which was expertly nodded in by Vitor Roque at the far post.
However, the tide shifted just before half-time when Chimy Avila was shown a straight red for a contentious sliding tackle on Alex Baena. With a man advantage, Villarreal piled pressure on the visitors but struggled to make inroads before the break.
Those in attendance were in for quite a surprise immediately after the restart as Manuel Pellegrini’s men doubled their lead, courtesy of a sublime free-kick from former Villarreal star Giovani Lo Celso.
His inch-perfect strike into the top-right corner silenced the home crowd, and with a quiet raise of his hand, he refused to celebrate in the stadium he once called home.
Villarreal responded swiftly though, as Baena latched onto a loose header at the far post, calmly chesting it down before delivering a sumptuous finish into the right corner.
Betis right-back Youssouf Sabaly then turned saviour for the visitors, executing a brilliant clearance off the goal line to deny Thierno Barny’s point-blank header.
With a flurry of substitutions in the final quarter-hour, neither side managed to alter the outcome, as Betis held firm to secure a memorable away victory and extend Villarreal’s winless streak to four consecutive home head-to-heads.
This league defeat marks just a second in 11 home games for the Yellow Submarine, having last suffered a loss here when they were brushed aside by Barcelona back in September.