There’s been very little for the Elche fans to cheer about this term, with no side collecting fewer points, scoring fewer goals or conceding as many on their own turf in LaLiga before kick-off. A welcome surprise arrived within three minutes here, though, when calamitous Villarreal defending allowed them to take the lead. Ezequiel Ponce’s shot took a wicked deflection and landed at the feet of Milla to slot home to stun their supporters.
The visitors appeared to be sinking when more disastrous defending allowed Elche the chance to double their lead, but an audacious flick from Lucas Boyé drifted narrowly wide of the target. Falling further behind could’ve spelt trouble as Villarreal had only netted twice in their previous eight games on the road, but striker Gerard Moreno stepped up to find the net and level the scores. The Spaniard evaded the offside trap by the barest of margins, seizing on a delicate pass from Álex Baena before slotting home.
Elche refused to let the game drift towards the interval, and their pressure eventually told. Jorge Cuenca’s rash challenge on Ponce inside the area was punished with the awarding of a penalty, which was converted by Milla with the final kick of the half. Quique Setién’s men would suffer a similar fate when the game after the break, as Milla was hauled down inside the area by Baena and another spot-kick was awarded. The 30-year-old picked himself up and sent Pepe Reina the wrong way from 12 yards to complete a crucial hat-trick.
The hosts ultimately saw out the game with surprising ease as they picked up the victory. Despite the win, Elche are still 11 points adrift of safety, but this victory does at least give them something to build on. Villarreal, meanwhile, wasted the chance to put pressure on Atlético Madrid, and they are still three points behind Diego Simeone’s side having played a game more.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pere Milla (Elche)
