Occupying the fifth and final UEFA Champions League qualification spot ahead of kick-off, Villarreal knew they could create further breathing room between them and the chasing pack with a positive result here.
It didn’t take long for the hosts to make their mark, taking the lead in the seventh minute through Yeremy Pino, who arrived at the back post to slot home Sergi Cardona’s low cross.
A period of dominance followed, yet against the run of play, Sociedad drew level thanks to VAR’s intervention for a Thierno Barry handball in the box, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to squeeze the resultant past Luiz Junior.
The Villarreal stopper was only just beaten from the spot, but he made telling contributions before the half-time whistle, first tipping Takefusa Kubo’s curler onto the crossbar before thwarting Luka Sucic from close range.
Unfortunately for Junior, just moments after the restart, a catastrophic individual error cost his side dearly as they fell behind for the first time in the match.
Receiving the ball from Juan Foyth, the goalkeeper was instantly put under pressure by the charging Oyarzabal, who closed down the passing lane and forced the ball over the line to leave Junior red-faced.
However, that lead lasted just 11 minutes, as Pino turned provider, picking out an unmarked Ayoze Perez with a lofted cross for his 14th goal of the season.
Armed with the momentum, Villarreal thought they’d restored their lead in the 68th minute when Foyth floated a searching ball into the box for Pino, who arrived in space and delightfully dinked home, only to be flagged offside.
As time ticked away, it was a similar story for the hosts, whose celebrations were cut short, not once, but twice. First, a partially cleared corner was turned in by Barry, but an offside Perez was adjudged to have interfered with play.
Then, in stoppage time, Villarreal were dramatically denied again, as this time, debutant Karl Etta Eyong saw his goal chalked off for a foul in the build-up.
Had Socidead found a winner, the result would have marked a first-ever top-flight double over Villarreal. Instead, a single point keeps Sociedad 11th, level on points with the two sides directly above them, all of whom remain just outside the European spots.
As for Marcelino, a point is far from a disaster, with Betis the only side realistically able to steal the fifth and final Champions League spot from his clutches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yeremy Pino (Villarreal)
