La Liga: Nicolas Pépé helps Villarreal end slump with victory over Espanyol

Nicolas Pépé was among the scorers for Villarreal as they ended a five-match winless streak in La Liga with a 4-1 result over visitors Espanyol on Monday.

Snubbed for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations by Ivory Coast national team coach Emerse Faé, the former Arsenal man is attempting to help his club maintain their top-5 pace in the Spanish top flight. His clinical finish made it 3-0 early in the second half as the hosts rolled to a routing win.

Georges Mikautadze provided a goal and an assist for The Yellow Submarine, who are battling with Atlético Madrid for third place. The two teams are tied on 45 points with Villarreal having a game in hand.

STANDINGS | Here’s how the #LALIGAEASPORTS table looks after Matchday 23. pic.twitter.com/eKPbe5W88Y

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 9, 2026

Monday’s result is a big boost after a difficult stretch that began in mid-January. Consecutive league defeats to Real Betis and Real Madrid were sandwiched between back-to-back defeats in the UEFA Champions League. Villarreal were eliminated from Europe’s premier club competition, with only a solitary point from their eight matches in the league phase.

But now they can focus their league duties after elimination from continental competition as well as the Copa del Rey. Next up is a busy stretch that starts on Saturday, when the club from the Valencian Community travels to face Getafe. That will be the first of three matches in eight days before clashes at Levante followed by a home fixture against local rivals Valencia CF.