Mikautadze helps Villarreal tighten grip on third place with 1-0 win at Levante in Spanish league

MADRID (AP) — Villarreal strengthened its hold on third place in the Spanish league with a 1-0 win at Levante on Wednesday in a match that was initially postponed last year.

Georges Mikautadze scored the 57th-minute winner as Villarreal moved three points ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid.

Villarreal is 10 points behind second-place Barcelona and 12 behind leader Real Madrid after 24 rounds.

It was Villarreal's second victory in three matches following a sequence of five straight winless games across all competitions.

Levante, which remained in second-to-last place, has lost three in a row and hasn't won in four matches.

The game had been scheduled for Dec. 14 but was called off because of heavy rain in the Valencia region. A weather alert was issued in the region.

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