Villarreal tightened their grip on third place in LaLiga with a comfortable 2-0 victory over regional rivals Valencia on Saturday.
Gerard Moreno and Santi Comesaña were on target for the visitors in a fiery derby that ended with Valencia’s fans venting their frustration at the final whistle.
The result leaves Villarreal just four points adrift of league leaders Real Madrid and two behind second-placed Barcelona, who face off in Sunday’s highly anticipated El Clásico.
Moreno broke the deadlock shortly before the interval after being brought down by José Manuel Copete in the box, coolly converting the resulting penalty.
Comesaña sealed the points in the 57th minute, reacting quickest to slot home the rebound after Julen Agirrezabala had parried Georges Mikautadze’s shot following a blistering run down the left flank.
The match also marked a personal milestone for Moreno, who became only the seventh player to reach 300 appearances for Villarreal.
The 33-year-old striker, whose career has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons, extended his record as the club’s all-time top scorer with his 121st goal.
“I’m proud to reach 300 games for Villarreal, especially with a win at such a tough ground,” Moreno said afterward. “The penalty gave us control, and we could have scored even more in the second half.”
