Villarreal boss Marcelino has said that he was relieved when his side managed to edge over the line against Rayo Vallecano at the weekend.

The Yellow Submarine entered the La Liga clash off the back of a three-game winless run and fell behind to Rayo on home soil.

A brace from Cedric Bakambu secured a 2-1 victory for Villarreal, however, and Marcelino has praised his team for recording "a big win".

"In the first half, we were the better team and had chances, yet [Rayo] scored with their first shot at goal, which caused us anxiety. The team struggled for comfort but ultimately found success in front of goal and picked up a big win," Marcelino told reporters.

"We were never in control of the second half, but we got the equaliser to balance things out and then scored our second goal. The addition of several [adverse] factors has affected our composure, plus we've been in a streak which has weighted us down.

"We'd create chances and not score, while the opponent would do so with ease, and that made us more anxious."

Villarreal currently occupy fifth position in the La Liga table, just one point behind fourth-placed Celta Vigo.