Real Betis match historic best start and plunge Villarreal into relegation zone

Real Betis claimed an impressive 2-1 victory at the Estadio de la Cerámica to match the best opening to a top-flight season in the club's history, with five wins from their first six matches. Manuel Pellegrini's side came from behind after Gerard Moreno's early goal and left Villarreal, still without a win this season, in the relegation zone and ten points adrift.

• Betis have five wins from six LaLiga games and have matched their best-ever start to a season.
• Gerard Moreno put Villarreal ahead, but Cucho Hernández and Nathan turned the game around before half-time.
• Villarreal remain winless in LaLiga and drop into the relegation zone, ten points behind Betis.
• The visitors missed six clear chances in the second half and could have won by a far bigger margin.
• A Buchanan goal was ruled out for Villarreal by a very tight offside call in the first half.

Betis fight back after Buchanan's disallowed goal

The match started at a relentless pace with chances at both ends. Villarreal pressed high from the outset and tried to suffocate Betis in their build-up play, and in the 18th minute Buchanan found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for a very tight offside. The Betis backline was extremely focused on that aspect throughout much of the first half and caught the home forwards offside on several occasions.

Gerard Moreno opens the scoring and Betis respond immediately

On the one occasion when the Betis defence was not sharp enough with their offside line, Gerard Moreno appeared at the far post to finish with ease from a headed cross. The 1-0 did not unsettle Betis, who quickly unleashed their attacking weapons. Cucho Hernández first threatened with a header that Gulacsi saved, and shortly afterwards the Colombian striker tapped in from close range after the goalkeeper parried a brilliant individual move by Abde to make it 1-1.

Nathan puts Betis ahead before the break

With the first half coming to an end, Gulacsi was caught out again. After a corner he left a loose ball and Nathan made no mistake, firing past the goalkeeper to make it 1-2 at the interval. The opening period was full of high-level play and constant momentum shifts, with both teams committed to attack and creating numerous dangerous moves. Even before Buchanan's disallowed goal there had been clear opportunities: Valles produced a stunning double save in the 11th minute, while Gulacsi and Pau Navarro also denied a couple of Betis chances.

Missed chances and a deepening crisis for Villarreal

After the break, Villarreal tried to react but found a Betis side that deserved a much bigger win. Pellegrini's men created around half a dozen clear chances to kill the game: Cucho Hernández, Fornals, Antony and Deossa, some of them with two opportunities, all failed to convert against a rival that slipped deeper into crisis. The scoreline did not move again, but the feeling was that the result did not reflect what happened on the pitch.

What this result means for Betis and Villarreal

With this win, Betis sit in the upper reaches of the table with record-breaking numbers for the start of a league campaign. Villarreal, meanwhile, are still searching for their first victory and the situation is becoming increasingly worrying: a ten-point gap to Betis and a place in the relegation zone have set alarm bells ringing for the Castellón-based club.