Bruno Soriano's second-half penalty saw Villarreal beat Granada 1-0 and return to winning ways.
The captain converted from the spot in the 55th minute after Jean-Sylvain Babin had fouled Roberto Soldado to give Marcelino's side a first win in three matches.
The victory takes Villarreal level with third-placed Real Madrid on 44 points, although the Merengues face Espanyol on Sunday.
Granada stay two points above the relegation zone but the four teams below them all play later this weekend.
Villarreal could have got off to a dream start when Bruno crossed towards Cedric Bakambu in the six-yard box, but the Congolese somehow struck over the bar.
Granada then missed a double chance to take the lead, Isaac Success shooting straight at Alphonse Areola, with Fran Rico failing to make the most of the rebound.
That was just one of a series of chances for the visitors in the first half, with Youssef El Arabi hitting the side-netting and Robert shooting straight at Areola after a cut-back from Success.
Villarreal needed the penalty to find a way through, and Soriano showed a cool head when facing down Andres Fernandez, sending the keeper the wrong way to score.
Primera Division stalwart David Barral made his return to the league after a six-month loan spell with Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates by making his debut for Granada, but was unable to inspire a comeback for his new team.