Alavés receives a reality bath at the La Cerámica Stadium. At this moment, with what he has, he is not able to win, especially against rivals like Villarreal, called to be at the top of the table this year. The Castellón team was recreated in a duel in which the babazorros exhibited their weaknesses and were again too fragile in defense.
To add insult to injury, at the end of the first half, a VAR penalty, not seen on the field by Medié Jiménez and more than rigorous for a possible lack of Lejeune within the area, it again put him very uphill in which, after a first part of clear local superiority, he re-entered due to a clamorous error of Asenjo. In the second half, the Yellow Submarine pressed the accelerator until it was necessary, until Paco Alcacer made it 3-1 in 67.
From there, the Gasteiztarra team improved with the changes and had two very clear chances of Guidetti Y Lucas Perez; but his current lack of success in attack ended up condemning him.
Brave bet of Pablo Machin in the first half, with a 1-4-4-2 with the lines very close to make a very advanced pressure that, from the beginning, made it very difficult for the ball to circulate to the locals. However, soon Paco Alcacer emerged to break the albiazul slate thanks to his ability to break offside, well assisted by quality passes from Gerard Moreno, Manu Trigueros or Moi gomez.
First in 12 and then in 13, that of Torrent he won his back on the Albiazul defense in two very dangerous plays. In the first, Lejeune appeared at the last moment to swipe the ball from him when he was about to score and, in the second, he took advantage of a great pass from Mario Gaspar to beat at pleasure Pacheco.
With the 1-0, the locals easily found the back of the Alava defense. In the 27, Medié Jiménez annulled a goal to Gerard Moreno for offside of Moi gomez.
Asenjo and penalty
The Gasteiztarra team was not right to put pressure on the rival midfielders, who comfortably sent balls to the back of the defense. The game was badly painted for Alavés, who did not string together a single dangerous action until, in the 36th minute, the local goalkeeper gave him 1-1.
Deyverson cleared hard from his field and Asenjo, outside the area, was overtaken by the bounce of the ball, which took advantage of Edgar mendez, who followed the play very well, to establish the tie.
The team of Machin, which made the most of the colossal failure of its rival. However, on the edge of the break, the VAR appeared. The video-arbitration room detected a more than debatable lack of Florian Lejeune on a striker and Medié Jiménez, after consulting it on the screen, he decreed a penalty that established a 2-1 just at halftime, after a first half in which the babazorros were subdued by those of Unai emery.
The start of the second half continued with a clear yellow hue. Just start Lejeune saved a goal under the sticks. In 60 the referee canceled a second goal for offside, this time to Moi Gómez and, in 67, again Paco Alcacer he sentenced by scoring his second target, which meant 3-1.
Final reaction
With the match already broken, Villarreal relaxed intoxicated by their clear superiority. He took advantage of it to introduce changes and Alavés took the opportunity to try to get into the match. He could do it, for Guidetti in 76 and Lucas Perez in 78 they scored two very clear scoring chances.
Villarreal, 3: Asenjo; Mario, Albiol, Pau, Estupiñán (Costa, m.77); Iborra, Parejo; Moi Gómez (Chukwueze, m.83), Trigueros (Take Kubo, m.75); Gerard (Bacca, m., 83), Alcácer (Funes Mori, m.83).
Alaves, 1: Pacheco; Ximo, Lejeune, Laguardia (Ely, m.83), Duarte (Manu García, m.76); Édgar (Sergi García, m.76), Pere Pons, Battaglia, Borja Sainz (Rioja, m.66); Deyverson (Guidetti, m.66), Lucas Pérez.
Goals: 1-0, m.13: Alcacer. 1-1, m.37: Edgar. 2-1, m.45: Gerard, from a penalty. 3-1, m.67. Alcacer.
Referee: Medié Jiménez (c. Catalán). He admonished Laguardia and Ximo Navarro for Alavés.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the fourth day of LaLiga Santander played at the Estadio de la Cerámica without an audience.