Deportivo La Coruña 0 - Villarreal 1

Deportivo: Molina; Héctor, Andrade, Naybet, Romero; Sergio (Duscher 64'), Mauro Silva; Víctor, Valerón, Munitis (Fran 77'); Luque (Diego Tristán 82'). 4-2-3-1.
Villarreal: Reina; Javi Venta, Quique Alvarez, Ballesteros, Arruabarrena; Coloccini; Belletti (Sonny Anderson 64'), Pedro Martí, Josico (César Arzo 71'), Roger (Santi 94'); José Marí. 4-1-4-1.

Team changes: Deportivo: Naybet, Romero, Valerón, Luque for César, Capdevila, Fran, Pandiani / Villarreal: Javi Venta, Ballesteros, Roger for Guayre, Riquelme, Sonny Anderson.

Goals:
0-1. 89. Roger. Shot wide of Molina after Arruabarrena laid ball across from left.

A last minute goal from Roger gave Villarreal a 0-1 win over third placed Deportivo La Coruña and prevented a three-way tie at the top. With Pandiani injured and Diego Tristán not fully fit, Irureta gave Munitis and Luque the attacking roles for the home side. On the other bench Benito Floro was missing several players, but even so the line up he put out was surprisingly defensive, with José Marí the only player of an attacking vocation in the starting line up.

Neither side made much of an impact though until Luque played the ball back for Héctor to fire a shot at goal on the half hour mark. Soon afterwards it was Luque again who put Munitis through, but the ex Racing and Real Madrid forward struck his shot against the crossbar. And shortly before half time Deportivo were reduced to ten men when Mauro Silva was shown a second yellow card by referee Téllez Sánchez.

Floro threw on Sonny Anderson to join the attack in the second half, but even so Depor's defence held firm. Luque came close to winning it for the Galicians when he fired a free kick against the post. But it was Villarreal who came away with the spoils in the end, Coloccini sending Arruabarrena away on a quick counterattack for him to set up Roger for the only goal in the dying minutes. The win takes Villarreal up to within two points of the Champions League spots.