Betis won 2-1, despite having Chimy Avila sent off in the first-half. Pellegrini was delighted with his players' efforts.
Assessment of the match:
"First, a very important victory because they are a direct rival, a very good team, at home, with the whole week to prepare for the match. We played away on Thursday, returned on Friday and travelled here on Saturday. The team's spirit has been commendable. Perhaps some people complain that playing three games a week means you can't keep up the pace, but today we were far superior in the first half and in the second we had to hold out in an orderly fashion."
Chimy Ávila's red card:
"I see the sending off as a general issue. For red cards and penalties, it should be the referee's obligation to go and review them because they ruin a match, they unbalance an absolutely even match. If the referee decides it's a red, he's going to look at it again and decides it's a red, well, that's fine, it's a criterion.
"But it's not a red, he doesn't touch it, he's going to cut off a play, it's a yellow. But I think it's an obligation, it would improve football a lot, referees shouldn't be ashamed if they make a mistake. Looking back, the VAR will help them reduce the number of errors a lot. That unfair and absurd sending off unbalanced the match, but we had the will, the dedication and the order to score the second, a great goal from Gio, and then try to maintain the score."
His yellow card for protesting the red card:
"I asked him why he doesn't watch it to be sure it's a sending off. I think they're a bit over-pressured and tense. The VAR has to be an ally, not an enemy. He'd be more relaxed if he went to watch it. If he considers it a sending off, that's his opinion, but both penalties and red cards, which decide matches, should be an obligation to watch."
Lo Celso's goal and the changes:
"Yes, it was very important, it gave us more peace of mind. We were looking to stop both wings, Villarreal put in a lot of crosses every game. We left Lo Celso with Parejo to let him out and their two centre-backs free. It was hard for them, they had some dangerous crosses, but in general terms we managed the game well, third of the week and travelling from Moldova for five hours and arriving on Friday to come here on Saturday. A lot of credit to the team."
Villarreal's chances:
"They were probably going to create some chances for us playing with one less player, and Villarreal is a very technical team, with players who can unbalance the final third. We did a very good job defensively, eleven against eleven they hardly had any shots on goal. And in the second half we had a couple of dangerous crosses that we cleared off the line. We had the chance to score the third goal, but the important thing is the three points."
What is the point of this victory?
"By the December break we want to be qualified for the two knockout competitions, we are qualified for the Cup, we are looking to be qualified for the Conference on Thursday, and to collect as many points as possible. There are six points left from the first round, the match against Rayo on Sunday, and we will see the objectives later. I can only congratulate the players today."