Luka Sučić struck in the 90th minute to complete a dramatic 2-3 win for Real Sociedad at Elche, rescuing victory after Jon Martín was sent off for handball with the visitors 2-0 up.
Job Ochieng opened the scoring before Yangel Herrera doubled the lead, but Elche hit back through Thomas Lemar and Fer Niño to level at 2-2 before Ochieng turned provider again for Sučić's winner.
Pellegrino Matarazzo said the red card made the win harder to secure but did not change his belief that Real Sociedad deserved it.
"It's always positive to win, and we did it after getting that third goal, having gone down to ten men," he said. "It's true that at the start we'd had plenty of chances and the lads had done enough to win the match, which got complicated after the red card."
On Jon Martín's dismissal, Matarazzo was sympathetic.
"It's difficult. It's complicated to say whether he's the last man and cuts out an attack — there should be some rule that judges an action like that," he said. He also explained starting goalkeeper Unai Marrero ahead of Álex Remiro. "It's true Álex has been very good in the first matches, but we wanted to get Unai into the side more often. We didn't want to take on too much risk in build-up play, and there he was maybe a more suitable player."
Elche head coach Martín Anselmi called the manner of the defeat "cruel" for his side.
"That word sums it up a bit. They struck. When we could have gone ahead, we didn't. When we equalised, we could have made it 3-2 in other moments. Then that cruelty arrives," he said. "The feeling is that when we're switched on, believe and play, we're capable of cornering a rival of Real Sociedad's standing. In this league, you can't give anything away to your opponent."
Martin Anselmi pointed to defensive lapses rather than a lack of quality.
"As well as individual errors from players, the coaching staff make them too," he said. "We need to understand we have to be present in the game for the full 90 minutes. If not, you make mistakes — you can't give away a single centimetre, because you pay for it."
He praised debutant Thomas Lemar's display but declined to dwell further on individuals, adding: "If you stay in regret in football, you don't move forward. We have to focus on the next game."
The result lifted Real Sociedad into the top half of the table, while Elche remain without a win this season.