Villarreal moved to within six points of the Europa League spots after easing past bottom club Xerez.

Villarreal, runners-up in La Liga in 2008 and Champions League quarter-finalists last year, have badly under-achieved this season but they could yet salvage a European berth after trimming the difference to the top six by two points thanks to goals from Joseba Llorente and Damian Escudero.

It is a different story for Xerez, though, and their hopes of avoiding an immediate return to the Segunda Division took another hit as they slumped to their 17th defeat of the season.

Nestor Gorosito`s side had picked up four points from their previous two games, including recording their first-ever away win in the Primera Division after downing local rivals Malaga 4-2 last weekend, but this defeat leaves them 11 points adrift of safety.

Villarreal started the weekend with an eight-point gap to make up on the European places but they received a boost last night when four of the teams above them, Real Mallorca, Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna and Athletic Bilbao all failed to win.

And Juan Carlos Garrido`s men ensured the opportunity was not wasted as they secured a victory that was much more convincing than the final scoreline suggested.

Villarreal could have had the game sewn up inside the opening half-hour after laying siege to the Xerez goal.

Ruben Cani had three shots saved by visiting goalkeeper Chema, while Llorente had a goal disallowed, missed two decent chances at the far post and saw an ambitious lob land on the roof of the net with Chema rapidly backpedalling.

Nilmar also headed wide during that spell, while Bruno Soriano`s 30-yard effort come crashing back off the crossbar.

Villarreal finally made the breakthrough in 33rd minute thanks to Llorente, who might have been celebrating a hat-trick by that point.

Ariel Ibagaza`s charge forward created problems in the Xerez defence and he slipped in Llorente, who took two touches before drilling a low shot under Chema for his sixth goal of the season.

That breakthrough was no more than the Yellow Submarine deserved, but they had to wait until the 90th minute to get the second goal that sealed the win.

Fortunately for Villarreal, Xerez only produced a couple of moments to concern their goalkeeper Diego Lopez, as at the other end they were struggling to build on Llorente`s strike.

It was not for a lack of intent though, as Chema continued to find his goal under bombardment.

He was called on to make saves from Llorente and Marcos Senna before the break, before denying Nilmar one-on-one in the second half.

Giuseppe Rossi, having been thrown into the fray in the 73rd minute as a replacement for Llorente, then came within a whisker of finding the far bottom corner of the net.

It was beginning to look as though Villarreal would have to weather a nervy final few minutes, but Escudero ensured the points would be staying at El Madrigal with a fine strike.

Full-back Angel Lopez powered forward before feeding the ball inside to Escudero, who took his time before curling a pinpoint left-footed effort into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.