Villarreal have been dragged further into a relegation battle after they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by Real Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Roque Santa Cruz's effort gave the hosts into a 35th minute lead before Ruben Castro slotted in from close range just three minutes later to put Betis in a commanding position.
It was 3-0 on the hour when Benat Urkiaga found the bottom corner after Villarreal were caught cold on the counter attack.
The away side's night was made even worse seven minutes later as a handball earned Angel Ruano his second yellow card of the match.
Villarreal did manage to get on the scoresheet in injury time when Marcos Ruben fired in from the spot after Fabricio Ramirez's foul.
The result has lifted Betis up into 13th, while Villarreal are now just four points outside of the drop zone.
Jack Prescott
