El Glorioso head coach Quique Sánchez Flores was overseeing his first home match in charge against a Villarreal team seemingly cruising towards consecutive top-four finishes, but one that has flattered to deceive on the road in recent weeks.
Those shortcomings were evident here in an underwhelming first-half performance, in which Marcelino’s men would have been expected to seize the initiative against their relegation-threatened opponents.
Sergi Cardona’s wide near-post header from a corner was their only chance of note in the opening half-hour, before Toni Martinez dragged a shot wide down the other end for Alaves.
Marcelino cut a visibly frustrated figure in the dugout, and his woes were compounded when the hosts took a 40th-minute lead.
Luiz Junior denied both Pablo Ibanez and Martinez inside the box, before the latter’s brilliantly improvised backheeled cross was headed into his own net by Rafa Marin.
Santi Comesana had two chances to restore parity before half time, but Antonio Sivera was equal to those attempts on both occasions, before Pepe blazed his follow-up effort over the bar.
The match became increasingly scrappy after the restart, which wasn’t helped by the conditions on a wet evening in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Martinez and Ibanez both tested the water with two off-target attempts for the hosts, while Georges Mikautadze had a chance to restore parity when his first-time near-post effort was parried to safety by Sivera.
It just wasn’t clicking into gear for the visitors, as Pepe’s deflected left-footed strike sailed just wide of the post.
El Submarino Amarillo almost gave the hosts a taste of their own medicine when Alex Freeman’s long throw was nearly diverted into his own net by Ville Koski, but the post spared the Finn’s blushes.
Marin’s own goal looked to have settled the contest, but Pepe took matters into his own hands to equalise deep into stoppage time with a stunning left-footed strike which flew past a motionless Sivera to give Villarreal a share of the spoils.
It was a hugely frustrating end to the game for Sánchez Flores, whose side are now winless in their last six league games (D3, L3). They sit three points clear of the bottom three, while Villarreal will be mightily relieved, despite now winning just one of their last six away league games (D2. L3).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal)
