Following a 3-0 humbling at Valencia before the World Cup break, Betis needed to bounce back from their heaviest defeat of the La Liga season.
After holding firm against some early Bilbao possession, Los Verdiblancos soon came to life as William Carvalho drove from the halfway line and struck from the edge of the area, forcing Simón into a low save.
Ernesto Valverde’s men were hoping to improve their fortunes on the road after a four-match winless run away in La Liga, but Los Leones couldn’t find fluency in their passing and were almost punished before halftime when Nabil Fekir struck towards the bottom corner, only for Simon to save once again.
Bilbao gladly welcomed heading into the interval with a clean sheet, but there was no certainty about it staying that way, as the Basque side had shipped at least two goals in each of their previous three away matches in LaLiga.
Simon’s goal soon came under threat from a determined Betis, with Fekir inches away from whipping a free-kick into the top corner before Luiz Henrique dribbled into the Bilbao penalty area and forced the Spanish number one into another reaction save.
In the closing stages, Bilbao pushed for a winner against the run of play, but Betis held firm to extend their unbeaten league run at Estadio Benito Villamarin to three matches, despite Luiz Felipe’s late sending-off.
Ultimately, the visitors had Simon to thank for keeping the scores level although issues remain on the road for Valverde’s side, who are winless in seven of their last nine away games in La Liga.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao)
