Rayo Vallecano fought off late pressure from Getafe to seal an away win that boosts their hopes of La Liga survival.
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In a stop-start beginning to the game, neither side could forge a clear chance and it was the visitors who took the lead with the first opportunity of note.
Rayo's goal came just before the half-hour mark when Alejandro Galvez's low cross was met with a clinical close-range finish from Alberto Bueno.
Getafe looked for an immediate response and almost got it when Lisandro Lopez forced a point-blank save out of Ruben.
The visitors could have doubled their advantage minutes before the interval when a poor back-pass from Rafa Lopez almost played in Jonathan Viera, only for keeper Miguel Moya to spare his defender's blushes.
After the break, Getafe went in search of an equaliser and came close when Borja's rasping drive from the edge of the box flew agonisingly past Ruben's post.
Midway through the second half, the hosts squandered an excellent chance to level when Pedro Leon's cross was met by the head of Ciprian Marica, but it went straight into the hands of the grateful Rayo keeper.
With time running out, the away side continued to threaten on the counter-attack and nearly punished Getafe when a lofted pass from Lass found Adri Embarba, but his subsequent strike went wide of the post.
The hosts almost snatched a point when a dangerous corner was not dealt with by Ruben and a goalmouth scramble led to a Galvez clearance off the line.
In stoppage time another corner for the home side forced another goal-line clearance, this time from Nacho Martinez as an equaliser seemed like it would never arrive despite Getafe's best efforts.
In the end Rayo held on for a win that pulls them closer to safety, despite staying in the relegation zone.
Chris O'Keefe
