Villarreal CF moved to the brink of a UEFA Champions League return after edging RC Celta de Vigo 2-1 at La Cerámica, extending their impressive home streak while piling more misery on the struggling visitors.
The hosts made a dream start, with referee Alejandro Quintero González pointing to the spot inside the opening minute after Alberto Moleiro was brought down in the box.
Gerard Moreno stepped up and calmly converted, giving Villarreal an early advantage.
Celta showed brief flashes of intent soon after, with Borja Iglesias involved in a dangerous scramble and Pablo Durán trying his luck from range, but their momentum quickly faded.
Villarreal doubled their lead before the half-hour mark with clinical efficiency. Alfonso Pedraza surged down the left and cut the ball back intelligently, allowing Moreno to dummy and Nicolas Pepe to finish first-time beyond Ionut Radu.
The visitors improved late in the first half, forcing Arnau Tenas into action. He denied Sergio Carreira at close range and then produced a fine save to keep out Hugo Álvarez’s volley after a dangerous delivery from Óscar Mingueza.
After the break, Celta pushed harder, knowing their strong away record after halftime. Álvarez wasted a good chance early on, while Radu kept his side alive with a superb double save to stop Georges Mikautadze and Pape Gueye.
The game swung again in the final 20 minutes when Gueye fouled Iglesias inside the box.
The striker saw his first penalty saved by Tenas, but a retake was ordered for encroachment, and this time Iglesias made no mistake, smashing into the top corner.
Celta nearly snatched an unlikely equaliser late on when Ferran Jutglà headed an Iago Aspas cross against the post, but Villarreal held firm through a tense finish.
Marcelino’s side now sit comfortably clear in the race for a top-four finish, while Celta’s slump continues, leaving their European hopes hanging by a thread after another disappointing outing on the road.
