Alavés have 24% of the ball and win anyway, and Villarreal still cannot finish

Alavés had the ball for less than a quarter of this match. They completed 145 passes. They made 47 clearances. They won 3-0 on the opening weekend and are now top of LaLiga.

Lucas Boyé scored on 31 minutes, and the remaining hour was a defensive exercise carried out without a single mistake that cost anything.

Villarreal's third match, third failure to convert

Villarreal finished with 76% possession, 649 passes, 19 shots, 15 of them from inside the box, and 55 touches in the Alavés area against Alavés' 14 in theirs. They got six shots on target. The goalkeeper saved all six.

Both sides hit the woodwork. Villarreal's 1.40 expected goals to Alavés' 0.81 continues a pattern that has now run for three matches: they came from 2-0 down to draw at Racing, created 3.60 xG and drew at Atlético, and have now dominated a game they lost. Four goals from roughly 5.9 expected.

Match facts

• 31' — Lucas Boyé (Alavés)

What's next

Seven points from three matches puts Alavés top of the table, one clear of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Betis, who have all played twice. Villarreal have two points from three and a growing case that the finishing, not the football, is the problem.