Alavés came into this game in desperate need of a victory to lift themselves out of the relegation zone, and the hosts duly started the game the better of the two sides.
It wasn’t long until they got their reward either, taking the lead after 11 minutes through Manu Sánchez as the defender bundled the ball over the line from close range after seeing his header saved by Diego Conde.
The visitors struggled to break down the resolute Alavés defence, only managing to test Antonio Sivera on one occasion in the opening half-hour when Nicolas Pépé fired towards the bottom corner, but the keeper got down well to make the save.
The visitors’ best chance of the half came on 37 minutes when Ayoze Pérez latched onto the ball inside the penalty area before firing a first-time strike towards the goal, but Sivera reacted superbly to make the save.
Villarreal assumed control of proceedings following the restart, but clear-cut chances came at a premium. The Yellow Submarine were, however, given a helping hand before the hour-mark when Sivera was shown a red card after a lengthy VAR review for handling the ball outside the penalty area.
Armed with the numerical advantage, Marcelino’s men looked to press home their advantage, but a lack of cutting edge in the final third continued to prove their undoing with the hosts’ replacement goalkeeper Adrián Rodriguez largely untested heading into the closing stages.
The hosts made life even more difficult for themselves in the fourth of a whopping 15 minutes of stoppage time, as Antonio Blanco was shown a red card after a VAR review.
Even with their opponents down to nine men, Villarreal failed to capitalise on their possession and ultimately, Alavés held on to secure a vital three points which lifts them out of LaLiga’s bottom three.
Villarreal, however, missed out on the chance to move within a point of fourth-placed Athletic Club, with this their first defeat in seven La Liga matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Manu Sánchez (Deportivo Alavés)