After a lively opening to the game from both sides, the first noteworthy opportunity arrived in the 12th minute when Rayo forward Alemao saw his close-range header expertly palmed away from danger by Luiz Junior.
However, it was the hosts that took the lead at the midway point of the first half, thanks to a moment of inspiration from Gerard Moreno, as an excellent turn and instinctive shot from inside the penalty area produced his second LaLiga goal of the season.
The quick tempo of the game continued right up to the interval, which saw seven shots apiece from both teams in an open affair, yet neither goalkeeper was called into urgent action often, due to a series of impressive blocks from both defences.
Villarreal supporters were dumbstruck eight minutes after half-time, when Nicolas Pepe ballooned the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard area, in a genuine miss of the season contender. Pepe’s miss was soon forgotten, though, as El Submarino Amarillo proceeded to blow their opponents away in the second half.
Marcelino’s side doubled their advantage in the 56th minute when Alberto Moleiro was allowed far too much space in the middle of the park, and he punished the opposition with a lovely finish into the bottom corner from around 25 yards out.
With Rayo on the ropes, the hosts extended their lead through Santi Comesana two minutes later, as he slotted the ball past Augusto Batalla following a smart pass across the face of goal from Moleiro.
At this point, Los Franjirrojos had completely fallen apart, and Villarreal found it increasingly easy to split their defence open repeatedly.
It came as no surprise at all when Marcelino’s side added a fourth goal in quick succession, as substitute Ayoze Perez took advantage of some poor defending to confidently notch his first LaLiga goal of the season.
With the game petering out as a contest, the hosts almost provided the icing on the cake, as Dani Parejo’s free-kick clipped off the bar in the 89th minute.
Confidence will now be very high in the Villarreal camp, following their third win in a row in all competitions, which maintains their very encouraging start to the 2025/26 campaign. El Submarino Amarillo now sit four points behind league leaders Real Madrid, albeit having played a game more.
Rayo head coach Inigo Perez will be somewhat baffled by his team’s significant drop in performance after the interval, especially considering his team were on a six-match unbeaten run in all competitions heading into this game.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alberto Moleiro (Villarreal)