Raul De Tomas scored a hat-trick as Rayo Vallecano boosted their La Liga survival hopes with a 4-2 win over Celta Vigo on Friday.
The home side recovered from a first-half deficit to claim their third win in succession and rise above Villarreal into 18th place in the table.
In contrast, Celta went into the game on the back of two straight losses and were reeling again when De Tomas opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock.
Nestor Araujo equalised 10 minutes later and when Maxi Gomez fired home an 18th-minute penalty the hosts looked well set to seal three vital points of their own.
But De Tomas had other ideas, hauling Rayo level before the break and completing his hat-trick 13 minutes from time to put the home side back in front.
Despite Celta's best efforts, Rayo held on for their third straight win and gave the scoreline a healthier glow when substitute Bebe added their fourth goal in injury time.