Elche have climbed out of the relegation zone thanks to a 1-0 victory over Levante in an ill-tempered match between two La Liga strugglers.

Levante's hopes of picking up a crucial victory were dealt a blow in just the sixth minute as David Navarro was shown a straight red card for reacting angrily when the two sides clashed on the edge of the box.

Elche capitalised on the numerical advantage quickly as Aaron Niguez found the space to cross for Jonathas, who powered home the header from close range.

The hosts were gifted the opportunity to double their lead midway through the first half when Loukas Vyntra was adjudged to have fouled the lively Jonathas inside the box.

However, Faycal Fajr failed from 12 yards as Levante goalkeeper Diego Marino guessed correctly to push the ball past the post.

Despite the setback, Elche continued to dominate the exchanges as Levante defended stubbornly to avoid falling further behind before the break.

Elche struggled to turn pressure into goals in the second half, with Marino being asked to do very little apart from holding onto a powerful effort from Jonathas.

Levante were offered a way back into the game with 20 minutes remaining when Damian Suarez foolishly brought down Victor Casadesus inside the box.

Ruben Garcia was trusted to level the scores from the spot, but Przemyslaw Tyton responded impressively to keep the penalty out and protect his side's slender lead.

Levante struggled to react to the missed opportunity, and Elche held onto the lead to climb out of the bottom three.