First La Liga defeat for Neville

Gary Neville slipped to his first La Liga defeat as manager of Valencia, going down 1-0 at Villarreal on Thursday.

Having drawn his first two matches against Eibar and Getafe, Neville headed to El Madrigal in search of the first three points of his campaign, but the result would go the home side's way after Bruno Soriano's second-half free kick.

Villarreal started brightly, with chances falling to Jonathan dos Santos and Roberto Soldado in the opening minutes.

They continued to dominate possession for the remainder of the first half, but were lacking the final pass to really make it count.

After the break, Valencia looked an improved outfit, and Paco Alcacer nearly gave them the lead on the hour-mark after picking up a pinpoint pass inside the box, only to sky his shot.

Valencia would be made to pay dearly for that miss just minutes later, as Soriano, who had come close with a free kick in the first half, made amends by firing his second attempt from the spot beyond the wall and into the far corner.

The victory continues a good run of form for Villarreal, who have now won four on the trot. Valencia, meanwhile, continue to struggle despite a change in manager.