Villarreal jumped to third in La Liga on Friday after defeating Alaves 4-1 at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Karl Toko Ekambi opened the scoring for the hosts after 13 minutes, and despite a 50th-minute equaliser from Lucas Perez, the Yellow Submarine remained in control.
Toko Ekambi regained the lead after 65 minutes, and Villarreal finished strongly with efforts from Gerard Moreno and Javier Ontiveros in the last six minutes.
La Liga Table (Played, Points, Goal Difference)
1. Barcelona: 9, 19 (+13)
2. Real Madrid: 9, 18 (+7)
3. Villarreal: 10, 17 (+10)
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