Villarreal missed the chance to go fourth in La Liga, managing just a draw away at basement side Elche on Saturday.

The Yellow Submarine led 2-0 inside 17 minutes following goals from Luciano Vietto and Ikechukwu Uche.

However, Elche were back in the match after 26 minutes when Jonathas finished into the top corner, before Victor Rodriguez levelled the scores with a stunning strike 10 minutes before the interval.

That was surprisingly the end of the scoring, as the two teams played out a goalless second period.

The result has left Elche rooted to the bottom of the table.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Spanish rivals.

Match statistics

ELCHE
Shots: 18
On target: 8
Possession: 48%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 15

VILLARREAL
Shots: 18
On target: 5
Possession: 52%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

In truth, neither side deserved to finish the match empty-handed. Villarreal will be kicking themselves after moving into such a strong position after 17 minutes, but Elche must be credited for the way that they managed to respond. When Uche scored Villarreal's second, it appeared that the Yellow Submarine would go on to claim all three points in a comfortable fashion, but Elche had clearly not read the script and managed to level the scores 10 minutes before the interval. A second period full of chances was expected, but that never really transpired. Villarreal looked the side most likely to win it at the death, but Elche did deserve something from their efforts.

Elche's performance

Elche have struggled for goals this season, but that did not show in the first period. Incredibly, they had eight attempts on target in the first 45 minutes - two of which found the back of the net. They were up against a team that had won their last seven games in all competitions, but put in the type of performance that will be needed if they are to survive this season.

At the forefront of their recovery was Jonathas, who scored their first and always looked a threat in the final third. Garry Rodrigues also had an impressive evening, with his pace causing problems to the Villarreal defence. It would have been easy for the team to fold after falling 2-0 behind against a Villarreal side in such good form, but the character that they demonstrated will stand them in good stead this term.

Villarreal's performance

On the face of it, a point at Elche is not the worst result in the world, but Villarreal really missed a trick on Saturday. A win would have taken them into fourth spot in the table and it appeared a case of how many after they raced into a two-goal lead. The first, which was finished off by Vietto, was a wonderful team goal, while Uche continued his good scoring form by netting their second from close range. It should have been comfortable, but the Yellow Submarine allowed Elche back into the match.

It was far from a smash-and-grab draw, however, with Elche creating a number of chances in the first period. Villarreal did look the team more likely to claim all three points in the second period, but they never really did enough to deserve the win. Head coach Marcelino will be kicking himself.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Jonathas: The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Elche from Pescara and if recent reports are to believed, he is keen on securing a move to a 'bigger club' in Spain this January. Well, the striker did his chances no harm against Villarreal. Jonathas got his side back into the match with a stunning finish, while his presence in the final third constantly unnerved the away side. His finishing needs some work, but the attacker does possess some very good attributes.

Biggest gaffe

Manu Trigueros had a wonderful chance to send Villarreal ahead moments before the interval, but the midfielder fired wide of the post following excellent work from Mario Gaspar. A goal at that stage would have crippled Elche's confidence and forced the home side to attack more in the second period. It was an opportunity that a player of Trigueros's quality really should have taken.

Referee performance

Clos Gomez had a very busy evening - issuing six yellow cards during a match that certainly had a feisty element. None of the bookings were particularly controversial, but the referee was a little guilty of being too picky in terms of fouls. On a number of occasions the play should have been allowed to flow, but Gomez blew his whistle. It certainly impacted the tempo in the second period.

What next?

Elche: It does not get any easier for Elche as they travel to Barcelona on Thursday for the first leg of their last-16 Copa del Rey clash. Their next league match is away to Athletic Bilbao next Sunday.

Villarreal: The Yellow Submarine are also in Copa del Rey last-16 action next week – hosting Real Sociedad in the first leg on Wednesday. They return to their league duties away to in-form Malaga next Saturday.