Nicolas Pareja's first-half free kick proved to be enough for Sevilla to resume the La Liga season with a scrappy 1-0 win over 10-man Celta Vigo.
Unai Emery's side went ahead shortly after Celta had Carles Planas sent off, and hung on for a third win in four games which takes them into the top four.
After Charles had flashed an early shot wide of the post, the visitors to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium saw their chances of a first win in seven suffer a blow.
As Sevilla countered following a Celta set piece, Planas was perhaps harshly sent off for hacking down Denis Suarez on 22 minutes.
The Sky Blues were ruing ill-discipline again when Hugo Mallo's foul gifted Sevilla a 32nd-minute free kick from which Pareja fooled Sergio Alvarez with a swerving shot into the top corner.
Celta stood firm and came close to equalising when Andreu Fontas hit the crossbar six minutes after the break, but that was the closest that they would come in a finishing display which explains their recent form.
The visitors, who have now lost their last six La Liga matches without scoring, hit the target with only one of their 10 second-half attempts as they failed to make the most of their territorial pressure.
Sevilla were equally wasteful as Ever Banega, Benoit Tremoulinas and former Arsenal striker Jose Antonio Reyes, who hit the post, squandered chances to make the final stages more comfortable.
Nevertheless, they collected three points which take them into the Champions League places, while Celta are now 13 points behind in eighth after seeing their promising start to the season come to a halt.
Joe Fish
