Malaga tops Villarreal to move into top five

Malaga, Spain – Malaga won for the third time in four games 1 victory over Villarreal.

Jeremy Toulalan's first goal of the campaign came in the fifth minute when he headed home Santi Cazorla's corner kick from close range. However, Villarreal responded quickly with Marco Ruben tracking down a through ball from Borja Valero and beating goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero at his near post.

Isco restored Malaga's lead five minutes before halftime, but the hosts had to survive the final 15 minutes with 10 men after Toulalan's foul on Villarreal's Hernan Perez earned him a second yellow card.

The closest that the visitors came to equalizing was a right-footed shot from Joselu that narrowly skipped past the right post.