Nicolas Pépé was central to Villarreal’s 5-1 LaLiga win over Levante at Estadio de la Ceramica, playing the full 90 minutes and putting up a standout all-round display. The winger finished with 1 goal, 2 assists and 62 touches, earning a 9.8 Sofascore Rating for a performance that mixed end product with sharp build-up play.

End product that set the tone

Pépé made his shots count, taking three attempts with two on target and one blocked. His expected goals sat at 0.459, boosted by an expected goals on target value of 0.8101. He also supplied two assists and created one big chance, supported by an expected assists figure of 0.524445. Add in six key passes and it is easy to see why Villarreal kept finding gaps against Levante’s back line.

Passing and service in both halves

This was tidy distribution with purpose: 31 of 35 passes found a teammate. He went a perfect 8 of 8 in his own half and 23 of 27 in the opposition half, keeping moves alive and finishing them with quality. From wide areas he sent in three crosses, two of them accurate, and he mixed it up with two attempted long balls, completing one. The numbers match the eye test on Sofascore, where his pass contribution pops alongside that 9.8 Sofascore Rating.

Carrying that moved Villarreal upfield

Pépé constantly advanced play with 21 ball carries covering 217.7 meters in total. He produced 110.8 meters of progressive carrying, including six progressive carries and a best single surge of 40.04 meters. Overall progression reached 152.2 meters, a useful snapshot of how often he pushed Villarreal into dangerous zones before the final pass or shot.

Competing, drawing fouls and small defensive wins

He won five duels and lost four, with one aerial duel won, showing enough bite to keep Levante’s defenders honest. He drew two fouls, was dispossessed only once, and logged two ball recoveries. Not everything stuck, with five unsuccessful touches and 16 possessions lost, but the balance clearly tipped in Villarreal’s favor.

A steady season platform

This performance fits neatly into a productive LaLiga campaign. Across 33 appearances, Pépé has 8 goals, 6 assists and 53 key passes, plus 55 successful dribbles and 12 big chances created. It has been consistent output that Villarreal fans can track live and post-match on Sofascore, where the data behind nights like this is all in one place.