Nolito struck a stoppage-time winner as unbeaten Celta Vigo continued their strong start to the Primera Liga campaign with a narrow 1-0 win away to Elche.
Both sides looked poised for a share of the spoils, only for Nolito to pounce late on with his fourth in six games to fire Celta into the top four in La Liga.
The clash sparked into life in the closing stages of the first half following a quiet opening, as Elche midfielder Faycal Fajr forced Sergio Alvarez into a smart save on 44 minutes.
There were yet more opportunities prior to the whistle as Fabian Orellana came close, while Nolito also fired narrowly wide of the post.
Celta Vigo carried that momentum into the second half and should have moved ahead on 51 minutes when Pablo Hernandez saw a fine chance comfortably saved by Manu Herrera.
Both sides continued to exchange blows well into the final quarter, with Alvarez denying Jonathas after Gustavo Cabral saw his header fly narrowly over the bar for Celta.
However, Nolito found the knockout in timely fashion, latching on to Michael Krohn-Dehli's lofted ball before firing past Herrera to extend Celta Vigo's unbeaten streak to six.
Shane Callaghan
