Villarreal 3 - Alavés 2

Villarreal: Viera; Javi Venta, Quique Alvarez, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Arruabarrena; Josico (Héctor Font 58'), Marcos Senna, Tacchinardi (César Arzo 83'); Riquelme; José Marí (Guille Franco 58'), Diego Forlán. 4-3-1-2.
Alavés: Costanzo; Edu Alonso, Gaspar, Sarriegi, Coromina; De Lucas, Astudillo, Juanito (Jandro 85'), Nené (Lacen 46'); Bodipo (Georgiev 62'), Aloisi. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Villarreal: Quique Alvarez, Josico, Riquelme for Peña, Roger, Sorín / Alavés: Gaspar for Pellegrino.

Goals:
0-1. 10. Aloisi. Got on the end of cross from Bodipo to turn ball past Viera.
1-1. 20. Riquelme. Inswinging corner from left which Costanzo helped into goal.
1-2. 36. De Lucas. Ran on to Juanito through ball to shoot wide of keeper.
2-2. 64. Riquelme. From close up after Guille Franco headed down corner.
3-2. 82. Guille Franco. Header down past Costanzo from Héctor Font cross.

Villarreal moved back up to fifth in the table pending Sunday's results after coming from behind twice to beat Alavés 3-2. With Riquelme back in the side the home fans were expecting an easy win, but the visitors caught them out early on, Aloisi turning in Bodipo's cross in only the tenth minute.

Riquelme made the difference though, and ten minutes after Aloisi's goal he swung in a corner which Costanzo misread and caught already inside the net. Forlán had a goal disallowed for offside soon afterwards, but Alavés were always dangerous on the breakaway, and ten minutes before half time they were back in front, De Lucas running on to Juanito's through ball to beat Viera with a low shot.

Riquelme almost got a second "gol olimpico" from another corner, and Forlán shot another effort just wide before the interval. But they could not break down a well ordered defence, and Pellegrini eventually brought on Guille Franco. Within five minutes he had made his mark, heading a corner on for Riquelme to turn the ball past Costanzo from close up. And with the game seemingly heading for a draw, the new signing headed the winning goal himself from Héctor Font's cross to leave Dmitri Piterman's side back down in the bottom three.