Goals from Coke and Vitolo have handed Sevilla a vital 2-0 victory over Villarreal in their pursuit of a Champions League place in La Liga this afternoon.
Coke scored four minutes into the second half as he poked home from close range, while Vitolo added a second when he volleyed a cross past Sergio Asenjo, which was enough to hand the visitors the three points.
Sevilla were the first team to threaten at El Madrigal as Diogo lifted a cross into the box from the left, which was met by the head of Carlos Bacca, but Asenjo palmed his effort past the post.
The home side hit back with a good chance as Giovani dos Santos rifled a powerful strike towards the bottom corner, but Rico was on hand to divert the shot away from goal.
Villarreal came closer when Mario Gaspar raided down the right flank and cut the ball back for Joel Campbell, who was left with a simple finish, but somehow defender Nicolas Pareja cleared the ball off the line.
The frustration increased for the hosts just before the break as Jonathan dos Santos had a goalbound effort blocked, while Moises Gomez saw his strike from close range rattle the bar.
In the second half, Sevilla made Marcelino Garcia Toral's side pay for their missed chances as they took the lead in the 49th minute when Diogo played in Coke down the right and he was able to beat Asenjo with a strike into the corner.
The visitors doubled their lead when Coke turned provider as he lifted a cross into the box for Vitolo, who smashed a volley past Asenjo into the top corner.
Gerard Moreno summed up the afternoon for the home side when he struck the post after turning his man in the 89th minute, which allowed the visitors to see out the victory.
Simon Sinclair
