By Our Man at the Ceramica
NICOLAS PÉPÉ produced a masterclass that felt like a throwback to his record-breaking days as he inspired Villarreal to a 5-1 demolition of struggling Levante yesterday afternoon.
The former Arsenal man, often maligned during his stint in London, was the undisputed orchestrator at the Estadio de la Cerámica, bagging a goal and two assists to officially punch Villarreal’s ticket to the UEFA Champions League next season.
While the scoreline suggests a cakewalk, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Marcelino’s men. Georges Mikautadze opened the scoring in the 38th minute, but the hosts were stunned early in the second half when Levante’s Carlos Espí rose highest to thump home a header, leveling the game at 1-1.
The Ivorian trickster turned the Levante defense inside out, teeing up Alberto Moleiro to restore the lead before providing a pinpoint low cross for Mikautadze’s second of the game.
With the visitors’ resistance crumbling, Pépé turned provider again, switching play with a sublime cross-field ball to find Canadian international Tajon Buchanan, who smashed home a thunderous fourth.
But the “Star of the Show” wasn’t done. In the 90th minute, Pépé got the goal his performance deserved, ghosting into the box to slot home his 8th of the campaign and send the Yellow Submarine into Europe’s elite competition in style.
”He was unplayable,” one fan noted. “That was the Pépé we always knew was in there.”
The win moves Villarreal six points clear of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and leaves Levante rotting in the relegation zone, three points adrift of safety.
