Villarreal beat Valencia late, Nathan Saliba misses derby with muscle injury

Villarreal secured a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory against Valencia on Saturday in the Derbi de la Comunitat. After Pepelu gave the hosts the lead via a first-half penalty, Alex Freeman equalized in the 69th minute. Substitute Georges Mikautadze struck the winning goal six minutes into stoppage time, even after Villarreal were temporarily reduced to ten men following Papa Gueye's 79th-minute red card.

The victory lifted Villarreal to eighth in LaLiga, while Valencia stayed in the relegation zone. Canadian midfielder Nathan Saliba missed the match for Villarreal due to an unspecified muscle injury, while compatriot Tajon Buchanan started and played 87 minutes. Fellow Canadian Tani Oluwaseyi remained an unused substitute following his midweek goal against Liverpool.