VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — Villarreal completed its first La Liga double over Real Sociedad since 2016-17 with a commanding 3-1 victory at Estadio de la Ceramica on Friday.
First Half Dominance
All of Villarreal's goals came in a busy first half. Gerard Moreno opened the scoring with a header in the seventh minute, giving the home team an early lead.
Eight minutes later, Georges Mikautadze doubled the advantage, tapping in a second goal following good build-up play from midfield by Alberto Moleiro.
Nicolas Pépé extended the lead midway through the first half, driving forward and seeing his deflected shot creep past goalkeeper Alex Remiro.
Second Half Spark
Luka Sučić pulled a goal back for Real Sociedad in the first minute of the second half, but the visitors could not mount a comeback despite the early spark.
Sociedad remained in seventh place after missing an opportunity to equal points with Celta Vigo, who sit above them in the standings.
League Standings Impact
Villarreal moved into third place in La Liga, sitting one point above Atletico Madrid. Atletico holds a game in hand scheduled for Sunday against archrival Real Madrid.
The win was Villarreal's 12th in 15 home games this season at Estadio de la Ceramica, with both defeats coming against Real Madrid and Barcelona.