The match began with Villarreal's Yeremy Pino shooting on target within 40 seconds. Although Leganes had possession of the ball in the first quarter, they failed to capitalize on their opportunities. The visitors' inability to make the most of their chances was punished when a neat passing sequence resulted in Alex Baena finding Pape Gueye, whose cutback was struck at goal by Alfonso Pedraza. Ayoze Perez then altered the ball's trajectory with a clever flick past Marko Dmitrovic, giving Villarreal the lead.

With the lead, Villarreal continued to dominate the game, and they doubled their advantage just eight minutes later. Juan Foyth's punchy pass found Pino in a lot of space, and the 22-year-old quickly moved forward before slipping in Perez, who steadied himself under pressure from Adria Altimira to finish with confidence for his 21st goal of the campaign in all competitions.

Villarreal was not content with their two-goal lead and looked hungry for at least one more goal before halftime. After a couple of chances went begging, they got their third just before the break. Baena's gorgeous pass with the outside of his right boot stopped in front of Nicolas Pepe, who stroked the ball home to put the game beyond the hapless visitors.

To their credit, Leganes did not allow their heads to drop, but they continued to find it difficult to create consistent, clear-cut opportunities. Pino was guilty of letting them off the hook for further damage after being found completely on his own by Perez's square pass.

Even after a quadruple substitution just after the hour mark, Leganes failed to worry the Villarreal defence on too many occasions. Their best chance saw Jorge Saenz hit the crossbar with a header following a corner.

Villarreal have now won four straight league matches for the first time since March last year, and they will travel to league leaders Barcelona on Saturday full of confidence. Leganes, meanwhile, remain 18th, but are four points adrift of safety after Deportivo Alaves' 1-0 win over Valencia. Their survival hopes are boosted by the fact their final two matches are against the two sides beneath them in the standings.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Juan Foyth (Villarreal)

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