Real Betis 0 - 1 Espanyol: Espanyol heap pressure on Gus Poyet's Real Betis with LaLiga victory in Seville

Espanyol secured just their second LaLiga win of the season by edging past Real Betis 1-0 and heaping the pressure on their coach Gus Poyet.

The Catalan side, whose own coach Quique Sanchez Flores is also feeling the heat, left Seville with three points to pull clear of the bottom three thanks to Diego Reyes' powerful second-half header. Betis almost equalised at the death but goalkeeper Diego Lopez denied German Pezzella with an acrobatic save.

Lopez was called into action in the eighth minute to touch a low angled drive from Antonio Sanabria wide, before Ruben Castro fired over for the hosts as he snatched at a presentable chance in the 25th minute.

Espanyol grew into the game and Betis goalkeeper Alberto Adan did well to block a Gerard Moreno shot aimed at his near post following a cross from Pablo Piatti. Adan again did well to hold on as Piatti was afforded space to head goalwards as the first half ended goalless.

Betis started the second half the brighter but without a clear-cut chance, and there was a delay after a dreadful high challenge from Hernan Perez on Sanabria led to an ugly fracas.

Espanyol forged ahead in the 62nd minute when Piatti swung in a corner from the right and Reyes found space to head past Adan from six yards.

Marc Roca drew a smart low stop from Adan as Espanyol went in search of the second that would have killed off the contest, but the game was still live going into the final seconds when Lopez produced his heroics.

Pezzella's header from a corner looked a certain goal but somehow Lopez reacted to tip the ball onto the crossbar and out. Betis' chance was gone, and the jeers rang around the Estadio Benito Villamarin in the direction of the beleaguered Poyet.