Former Arsenal winger Carlos Vela scored a hat-trick to give new Real Sociedad coach David Moyes a winning home start in La Liga with a 3-0 victory over Elche on Friday.
Former Everton and Manchester United manager Moyes had seen his team draw 0-0 at Deportivo in the Scot’s first game in charge last weekend.
Any worries he had over his home debut at the Anoeta stadium were eased after just three minutes when Mexico international Vela found the target with a powerful header.
Vela made it 2-0 on the half-hour mark with a calm, incisive finish following a superb Xabi Prieto ball and he completed his hat-trick eight minutes into the second half by stabbing into the net at the far post after latching onto a Carlos Martinez pass.
Vela now has five goals for the season while the win, just a third in La Liga for the San Sebastian side, took Moyes’s new charges into 12th place in the table.
“It was a good match for me, but the most important thing was that we won,” said Vela.
“The win has given us peace of mind and confidence for the next matches. It will boost our morale as we move forward.”