Villarreal hit back to stun Valencia

Villarreal CF battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to claim a 3-3 draw against Valencia CF in an enthralling match at the Mestalla, while ten-man Sevilla FC also came from behind to defeat RC Deportivo La Coruña 3-1.

Thriller
Looking to cement their place in second in the Liga Valencia got off to the perfect start when Ruben Baraja headed in in the second minute and they looked on course for victory when David Villa struck eight minutes later to double the advantage. Both sides created chances in a wide-open first half without adding to the score before the break.

Rossi penalty
Three successive league defeats had seen Villarreal drop to seventh in the table, but they were offered a glimmer of hope when Fabricio Fuentes headed in to reduce the deficit a minute into the second half, and the comeback was completed when Joseba Llorente fired in his own rebound with 13 minutes to play. The visiting side's recovery looked to be undone when Edu headed Valencia back in front on 79 minutes only for Giuseppe Rossi to equalise from the penalty spot with six minutes remaining.

Sevilla climb
The result allowed ten-man Sevilla to leapfrog Valencia into second place as they battled back from a goal down against Deportivo to win 3-1 in the second of three meetings between these sides in the space of a week. Seville had beaten Depor 2-1 when the two sides met in the first leg of their Copa del Real last-16 tie on Wednesday, but looked unlikely to match that result when they fell behind to Rodolfo Bodipo's 34th-minute strike.

Maresca off
Things got worse for the visiting side when Enzo Maresca was dismissed shortly before the break, but Seville responded brilliantly after the interval, with Luis Fabiano striking the equalisier on 50 minutes. Renato put them in front for the first time 12 minutes from time before Diego Capel made sure of the victory in added time. Sevilla's triumph halted Depor's winning run in the league at three games and took them up to second in the table, nine points behind leaders FC Barcelona who are away to bottom side CA Osasuna on Sunday. Depor and Sevilla meet again in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.