Villarreal 1 - Málaga 2

Villarreal: López Vallejo; Xavi Roca, Berruet (Cagna 35'), Ballesteros, Galván; Jorge López, Amor (Calleja 75'), Galca, Quique Martín (Escoda 57'); Víctor, Palermo. 4-4-2.
Málaga: Contreras; Rojas, Litos, Fernando Sanz, Roteta; Gerardo, Miguel Angel Zárate (Leko 62'), Musampa (Duda 82'); Darío Silva (Edgar 85'), Dely Valdés. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Villarreal: Berruet, Ballesteros, Galván, Quique Martín for Unai, Quique Alvarez, Arruabarrena, Calleja / Málaga: Miguel Angel, Darío Silva for Romero, Canabal.

Goals:
1-0. 01. Víctor. Picked up mis-hit clearance from Contrewras and lobbed into net.
1-1. 31. Dely Valdés. Scissors kick from Darío pass which bounced over keeper.
1-2. 79. Darío Silva. Beat offside trap to round keeper and score.

Málaga recorded an undeserved 1-2 victory at Villarreal, scoring with their only two attempts at goal to steal away a much needed three points. Víctor gave the home side the lead after only 32 seconds, taking advantage of a mix up between Fernando Sanz and Contreras to lift the ball in to the empty net. It seemed as if the home side would walk it, but a controversial Dely Valdes strike which only just cleared the goal line before Berruet scrambled it away made it all square. Berruet had to leave the field soon after the goal after injuring himself in the play, and with Quique Alvarez and Arraubarrena both suspended and Unai failing a late fitness test, Víctor Muñoz ran out of defenders.

Villarreal continued to attack in the second half, hitting the woodwork twice through Galván and Víctor. But Contreras was making up for his early mistake with a string of fine saves, and, Darío Silva, returning to the side from international duty, hit the winner ten minutes from the end. It was a typical Darío goal, with the Villarreal caught appealing for offside as he rounded the keeper to give his side their first away win of the season. They open up a four point gap over the bottom three, but with all their close rivals winning they stay in seventeenth place. Villarreal still hold on to the second UEFA spot as the teams below them failed to win.