Getafe ceased a winless run of form that stretched back four matches thanks to a 2-0 victory over Villarreal at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez this afternoon.
Not only had Fran Escriba's men not won a La Liga fixture since their 4-0 hammering of Las Palmas on October 18, they also headed into this encounter with a negative recent record against their visitors from Castellon. Villarreal were unbeaten in the previous five meetings between the pair, while overall they had won 16 of the last 25 games.
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However, having applied some early pressure, the home side took control of proceedings and reversed their recent fortunes in the 21st minute when they found a way to beat Villarreal's loanee goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Angel Lafita had not scored since the end of August, but the winger brought an end to his barren spell when having cut in from the left flank, he drilled a low shot inside Areola's near post.
Getafe continued to dominate proceedings as the game wore on, but it was not until the 51st minute that they made the points safe with a second goal.
On this occasion Lafita turned provider as he drove towards the left byline, from where he sent in a low cross. The ball evaded Areola and the Villarreal rearguard, but not Getafe striker Alvaro Vazquez, who was left unmarked at the back post to turn in his third goal of the campaign.
The response from sixth-placed Villarreal was a relatively muted one, with Vicente Guaita in the home goal rarely worked as his side closed the match out to secure all three points, which has lifted them up to 13th.
As for the travelling Yellow Submarine, they have now gone four away league matches in a row without finding the back of the net - the first time that they have been on such a run since the 2005-06 season.
Liam Apicella
