Jorge Sampaoli's free-wheeling Sevilla side were held goalless at Villarreal as goalkeeper Sergio Rico was kept busy by the Yellow Submarine at El Madrigal.
Sevilla were 6-4 winners against Espanyol last weekend, but the scoresheet was blank this time around as Rico, dropped from the first Spain squad named by new coach Julen Lopetegui on Friday, earned a point with a series of saves, including one astonishing effort to deny Manu Trigueros in the second half.
Villarreal did not appear disheartened by their midweek Champions League exit, but could have suffered an undeserved defeat had Pablo Sarabia's curling corner bounced in instead of out after striking the upright late on.
Roberto Soriano had the first decent effort for Villarreal, forcing a save low to Rico's left for the hosts after Sevilla failed to clear Alexandre Pato's low cross.
Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo had to race from his line to beat Luciano Vietto to the ball after a beautiful pass over the top from Sarabia appeared to have played him in.
Soriano threatened again in the 25th minute with a far-post header after a well-played advantage allowed Samuel Castillejo to fire a ball in from the right-hand side.
Pato rolled his left ankle and was forced off after half an hour, with Rafael Santos Borre coming on to replace him, while Sevilla full-back Timothee Kolodziejczak was booked for swinging an arm into the face of Castillejo.
The hosts had a goal disallowed three minutes before the break when Borre was ruled to be in an offside position when he helped home a goalbound header from Argentinian defender Mateo Musacchio following a corner.
Colombian forward Borre was tripped by Vitolo as he sprinted towards the box early in the second period which resulted in a booking for the Sevilla man. However, Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano was way off target with the ensuing set-piece.
The hosts were dominating possession and territory and, after a sloppy pass from Sevilla midfielder Steven Nzonzi, the ball came to Borre, whose well-struck effort had to be parried away by Rico.
Sevilla threw bodies in the path of a series of shots and Rico made the save of the night on the hour mark, diving full length to flick Trigueros' low shot up on to the crossbar and out after the Villarreal man had turned well to make space for a shot.
Borre's 66th-minute angled drive was deflected wide by another sprawling Rico save and Federico Sansone blasted one over in the 75th minute after Nzonzi was dispossessed on the edge of his own area.
Despite all the pressure Sarabia almost snatched it for Sevilla at the death when his inswinging corner from the right missed everyone, struck the inside of the far post and bounced clear.
ends