Quality attacking moves were few and far between in the opening half. While neither team took control of possession, the game was stuck in midfield, forcing both sides to resort to long balls in an effort to break into the attacking thirds of the pitch.

Proceedings finally exploded into life past the half-hour mark when Oscar Plano was taken down on the break by German Pezzella, who was the last defender for Betis, forcing the referee to show the Argentine a straight red card for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity after a VAR review.

A numerical advantage did not appear to help Valladolid in their attacking efforts, as the slow paced moves from the first half did improve in the second. In fact, it was Betis who created some of the better scoring chances in the second interval. Sergio Canales had the best chance of the game when he was slipped into the box behind the hosts’ defense, but his shot was sent straight into the keeper from close range.

Much to the chagrin of the neutral onlookers, the quality of play did not improve as time wore on, and La Liga’s early game of the day fizzled out with little to show from the 90 minutes. Having failed to win in two straight La Liga games, and seeing a man sent off in both of those contests, Manuel Pellegrini will be bitterly disappointed by his side’s recent form. However, with 16 points from their first 8 games, Los Verdiblancos remain firmly in the race for the top four.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Jordi Masip (Real Valladolid)