Atletico Madrid extended Villarreal's slump as Fernando Torres scored the only goal at El Madrigal after 74 minutes.
Fernando Torres came off the bench to seal a 1-0 win for Atletico Madrid against shot-shy Villarreal on Wednesday.
It was Torres' fifth goal since rejoining Atletico in January and came with a sizeable slice of help from the unfortunate Eric Bailly.
The Ivory Coast defender stumbled under pressure in the 74th minute, allowing Torres to bear down on goal, round Sergio Asenjo in the Villarreal goal and calmly slot past scrambling defenders on the line.
Atletico's triumph strengthens its grip on third place in La Liga as it moves to 75 points – six above Sevilla with four games remaining.