The Carbayones were up against it for the first 11 minutes, in which Santi Comesaña turned an effort over, Pape Gueye’s attempt was deflected behind, then Nicolas Pepe and Gerard Moreno had a shot apiece saved by Aarón Escandell.
The visitors still had a major chance to open the scoring when Junior Reis fouled Ilyas Chaira following an undercooked header from Juan Foyth, yet the Villarreal goalkeeper atoned for the error by saving Salomón Rondón’s penalty.
Escandell initially continued to keep Villarreal out as he palmed away Sergi Cardona’s shot and came out authoritatively to stop another Pépé attempt, but Oviedo were dealt two heavy blows in a matter of moments before the half-hour mark.
Alberto Reina was sent off for a second bookable offence, before Etta Eyong rose to head home from a corner after Nacho Vidal’s attempted clearance only flicked the ball to the striker, making his first-ever LaLiga start.
El Submarino Amarillo added another just seven minutes later with Gueye applying a clinical first-time finish to Pepe’s cutback.
Villarreal suffered a blow when Moreno was forced off within two minutes of the restart, and Oviedo kept competing as Chaira hit a shot from range that was routinely saved.
El Submarino Amarillo still largely controlled possession as they patiently moved the ball around, while Tajon Buchanan guided an effort off-target from Pépé’s cross before Gueye blazed a strike high and wide. Pépé then saw an ambitious shot tipped behind by Escandell before the winger was brought off to applause.
There was also a warm reception for Santi Cazorla on his return to Estadio de la Cerámica and the top flight, but Yeremy Pino was left frustrated when his late goal was disallowed for handball.
Even so, Villarreal followed up their tally of six consecutive LaLiga wins at the end of last season by starting this campaign with a comfortable victory. They also inflicted just the second defeat from Oviedo’s last 15 competitive matches, offering an insight into the step up the Carbayones face if one was needed.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal)