Valencia's pursuit of a Champions League position gathered pace on Saturday as Alvaro Negredo struck late to secure a vital 3-2 victory against Almeria.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side looked like losing ground in the race for the top four until Negredo headed in the winner seven minutes from time against the struggling visitors.
The result extends Valencia's unbeaten run to five matches and sees them move into third place, at least until Atletico Madrid face Granada on Sunday.
It was just the Spaniard's second goal since joining the club on loan and followed a frantic first half during which Tomer Hemed twice equalised after goals from Dani Parejo and Rodrigo.
Villarreal's own efforts to qualify for Europe's elite club competition received a boost as they beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 to climb within a point of Sevilla.
On-loan Real Madrid midfielder Denis Cheryshev's well-taken opener gave Marcelino's men the edge at half-time before Bruno sealed a seventh win in nine league games with a late penalty.
Felipe Caicedo's 90th-minute winner saw Espanyol edge past Celta Vigo 1-0.
