Sevilla all but booked their Champions League berth with a well-worked 2-0 victory over Villarreal which severely dents their opponents' hopes of securing a place in Europe's premier club competition.
Luis Fabiano opened the scoring shortly before the hour mark and, although Villarreal were handed a lifeline when Abdoulay Konko was sent off 18 minutes from time, Frederic Kanoute scored 10 minutes later to leave Sevilla five points clear of their hosts.
Villarreal's chances of joining Sevilla in Europe's elite will take a severe beating if fourth-placed Valencia, who currently have a one-point advantage over them, triumph at Espanyol on Sunday.