MADRID – Villarreal midfielder Manu Trigueros scored a late winner to give his side a 1-0 La Liga away victory at relegation-threatened Celta Vigo in an otherwise lacklustre contest on Saturday.
Both teams struggled to hit top gear at the Balaidos stadium following the long break due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but Trigueros' 91st minute strike sealed all three points and heaped more pressure on 17th-placed Celta.
Villarreal's Vicente Iborra had gone close to giving them the lead in the first half, but his powerful shot from close range was saved by Celta goalkeeper Ruben Blanco in the 17th minute.
Villarreal climbed to eighth place with 41 points from 28 matches while Celta have 26 points and are in danger of slipping into the bottom three.
The Spanish La Liga returned to action this week after a lengthy time off due to the spread of the coronavirus that has affected sport around the globe.