Prior to facing Mallorca, the Basque team had lost five straight league games; their winning streak was only stopped by a Copa del Rey triumph in the middle of the week. Alaves had won all three of their home games this season, but a run of home defeats left them in a precarious position as they fell down the standings. As the number of tickets for Alaves kept growing, the visitors narrowly avoided a close first half.

After the half, though, things started to change as Alaves saw their opportunity to score three points in the closing minutes. On minute 76, midfielder Jon Guridi scored a close-range goal after Mallorca failed to clear, making him the hero. Ahead of their trip to Villarreal the following weekend, Alaves managed to hold on despite it opening up the game in the last minutes.