Celta 0-0 Villarreal: Submarine happy with a point but could have done better

Villarreal might well be feeling as though they should have come away with three points today, as in spite of being outpossessed 2 to 1 and outshot 11 to 6, the Submarine had the best chances to break the deadlock.

The Submarine outplayed Celta in the first half and could have gone in with the lead, but Cedric Bakambu couldn't find a way past goalkeeper Alvarez in two different one-on-one situations.  Villarreal had some nervy moments at the back, the makeshift back four of Rukavina, Bailly, Ruiz and Mario being given some problems by Orellana, Wass and Guidetti, but Alphonse Areola kept things even.

Villarreal did not play as well in the second half, and it was a subpar day for our midfield especially, with Nahuel and Manu Trigueros both deservedly subbed.  Denis Suarez was pretty quiet, too.  But while Celta controlled play, the last half-hour really didn't produce much danger, and Villarreal saw out the match quietly enough.  Pretty much a carbon copy of the matches we played on the road at Bilbao and Atleti, to be honest.

14 matches in a row without loss in La Liga, a team record; 590 consecutive shutout minutes for Alphonse Areola in the league, another record; 53 points from 27 matches.

Leo Baptistao, who had linked up pretty well with Bakambu in the first half, came off with a niggle, so that will be a concern; referee Latre handed out a bunch of yellows in the second half, including Eric Bailly's ninth; no one else is close to suspension.

Endavant Villarreal!!