Wednesday evening was a decisive one in Matchday 36 in La Liga, with one team relegated, one team on the verge of safety, and another staring relegation in the face.
Ayoze Perez double downs Leganes – who are all but down
Villarreal 3-0 Leganes
Leganes arguably had the better of proceedings in the first half against Villarreal, but had a sour taste in their mouth by the end of it. After 20 minutes of concerted pressure, with Yan Diomande causing problems down the Villarreal right, Borja Jimenez’s side could have been feeling quite good about matters.
Neat interplay between Thierno Barry and Alex Baena down the right opened a shooting opportunity for Alfonso Pedraza, whose shot was deflected in by Ayoze Perez. Ten minutes later, Perez doubled their lead, released from the inside left position, and taking full advantage with a lovely finish. On the brink of half-time, without having done a lot wrong, Baena found a wonderful pass to set Nicolas Pepe free in behind. Alone and with time, he finished early past Marko Dmitrovic.
Los Pepineros did their best to cause Villarreal issues in the second half, but both sides perhaps had something of an eye on this weekend already. The Yellow Submarine keep Real Betis at arms length, with Los Verdiblancos six points behind, albeit with a game in hand, in fifth place. They are also level with Athletic Club now. Ayoze moved onto 18 goals in La Liga, all but cementing his place as this season’s Zarra.
Leganes lie four points from Alaves and safety with two to play, and a poorer goal difference. They will be forced to make miracles against Las Palmas and Real Valladolid.
Alaves within touching distance of safety as Valencia European challenge hit with hammer blow
Alaves 1-0 Valencia
Alaves eeked out a tough victory over Valencia at Mendizorrotza to wild celebrations in Vitoria-Gasteiz. They were intense and suffocating for Valencia at times, with Giorgi Mamardashvili’s flying save from a Jon Guridi header the highlight of the first period.
The second was much the same, although Valencia began to cause the odd problem more for the Alaves defence. The decisive moment came around 15 minutes from time though, when Jesus Gil Manzano signalled a penalty after Mamardashvili fell on Santiago Mourino. Joan Jordan, pilloried by his manager earlier in the season for a failed Panenka attempt, thumped the ball to the left side beyond the Georgian for the winner.
Los Che had only been beaten by Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2025 under Carlos Corberan, but that fourth point leaves them two points back with two games to go, with three teams to leapfrog, and Athletic Club and Real Betis to come. El Glorioso felt just that tonight. Two points will likely be enough from Real Valladolid and Osasuna, but a win will guarantee safety for Chacho Coudet and company.
Las Palmas officially relegated after Alaves result
In 19th spot, Las Palmas are six points back and with a poorer head-to-head against Los Babazorros, officially a Segunda team next season. The night before after defeat to Sevilla, President Miguel Angel Ramirez refused to blame officials, and promised an exciting project next season with optimism of returning.
📩🙏🏽 Querida familia amarilla: #LaUniónHaceLasPalmas #LaUniónDePorVida #75AniversarioUD pic.twitter.com/3rYjAIt2xH
— UD Las Palmas (@UDLP_Oficial) May 14, 2025
Pio Pio started off the season with Luis Carrion replacing Garcia Pimienta. An eight-game winless streak to start the season saw Diego Martinez come in and spark a revolution: Las Palmas played more direct and were more solid, with a fierce spirit about them. Yet the Martinez bounce fell flat again in 2025, and although they were still competitive, their lack of a clinical edge combined with an injury or two for Fabio Silva saw them struggle to pick up results.
