Marcelino believes it was vital Villarreal scored first against Cordoba after overseeing a 0-2 win at Arcangel.
Lucas Vietto netted after 23 minutes and Ike Uche scored in the second half to condemn the hosts to a 13th League game without success.
“The first goal was crucial because it’s important in any game and more so today because our opponent needed it to help their anxiety,” he said, Marca reports.
“We didn’t make any concessions in defence to a team that needed them. They started well but lacked depth.
“Sometimes the first goal is decisive and it came for us. We could have gotten another at the start of the second half and later we got another goal. We had great effectiveness today.
“Cordoba play well and combine in attack but we did well to close down Fede. We defended well and didn’t let the stadium play its part.”
Marcelino was also asked about the death of a man prior to the Atletico Madrid vs. Deportivo La Coruna fixture after fighting between fans.
“It’s lamentable. Football is something to enjoy and I don’t understand why people do that,” he said.
“It’s a sad day. It’s not for me to say if the round of games should have been suspended.”