Villarreal survived a spirited Getafe fightback to defeat their opponents 2-1 in this evening's La Liga clash at El Madrigal.

The visitors had the first chance of the game when Fredy Hinestroza fired a shot from a difficult angle on the left-hand side, but the effort flew just wide of the post.

Getafe continued to crank up the pressure, threatening through Yoda and Sergio Escudero, but the pendulum would soon swing the other way, with the hosts working their way back into the game.

The deadlock was broken by Villarreal in the 38th minute, when Luciano Vietto's through-ball fell to Mario, who bore down on goal and finished off by blasting the ball high into the net.

Gerard Moreno then doubled the home side's lead just before the break after picking up Denis Cheryshev's ball before poking home.

Getafe did not let their heads drop in the second half, and following an extended period of pressure, the Azulones halved the deficit just after the hour mark when Mehdi Lacen tucked the ball into the bottom corner past Sergio Asenjo.

The visitors embarked on a dominant spell in the latter stages of the game, but they were not able to find the all-important equaliser in the face of a good Villarreal defensive display.

The final whistle came as a relief for Marcelino Garcia Toral's charges, claiming all three points and remaining eighth in La Liga.