Real Betis have continued their good run with a 4-1 win at Espanyol, strengthening their grip on third place in La Liga. Espanyol took the lead in the match in the 14th minute through Raul de Tomas. But after that goal, Betis started their domination, and the Catalan club did not get a chance to score again. The visitors rallied with Borja Iglesias scoring twice and Guido Rodriguez and Willian Jose adding a goal each. It was the third consecutive win for Betis in all competitions and fourth in their past five matches.
It was the second straight home loss for Espanyol, which stayed in 11th place in the point table.
The Andalusian club is on fire in the last five matches. They have scored 14 goals and conceded just three.
After appointing Manuel Pellegrini as the manager last season, Real Betis has been doing an impressive job in La Liga. In the 2018-19 season, they finished tenth in La Liga and in 2019-20, they were one of the weakest teams in the league and finished 15th.
Manuel Pellegrini did a miraculous job with the struggling Real Betis. He was able to restructure the team and finished them in 6th position last season. Also awarded a UEFA Europa League spot.
After the team’s quick recovery, Pellegrini was awarded a new contract extension in December. Pellegrini has clearly improved Betis since his arrival in 2020, and with the best win percentage in Betis’ history as things stand, a 52.2% win rate.
In December, Betis confirmed that the former West Ham and Villarreal boss had penned a two-year extension, keeping him in place until 2025. Pellegrini’s previous contract was due to run until 2023, but he will now stay in place for another two years.
Under Manuel Pellegrini, the players have been enjoying themselves a lot. One of the players who is having a revival season is Hector Bellerin. After moving from Arsenal last summer, he performs decently under the Chilean manager. He was going through a tough period with the Gunners in his last season.
He said: “Having been a wing-back all my life, I really appreciate having the freedom to move upfield and join in with the frontmen. I like being able to help the team in both attack and defence. We’re not only getting great results, we’re also enjoying ourselves on the pitch.”
Last season, Betis finished 6th. Now their aim will be the top four and a Champions League spot. As the top clubs like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are underperforming, it will be easy for the Andalusian club to finish in the top four.
