The visitors carried the greater threat right from the off in Palma, as Marc Roca’s speculative 35-yard effort came back off the post after just three minutes, following a misjudged clearance by Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman.
However, that proved to be just a warning shot for the hosts’ defence, as former Barcelona winger Abde Ezzalzouli calmly steered home in back-to-back games against Mallorca on 18 minutes, after Roman smartly repelled Antony’s strike from the edge of the box.
Mallorca’s best chance of the first half came just before the half-hour mark, but star striker Vedat Muriqi could only scuff a close-range header straight at Alvaro Valles from a corner.
The Kosovo international’s frustrations only bolstered Betis from there on, as Bakambu ruthlessly fired home another clever threaded pass from Antony in first-half stoppage-time.
The expected Mallorca response stuttered after the restart, but Muriqi remained at the heart of things for the home side, after being cautioned following a failed penalty appeal on the hour.
However, that did not deter the veteran forward, as he dragged Mallorca back into the contest just six minutes later, by heading home Samu Costa’s cross for a 16th LaLiga goal of the campaign.
That opened up the game at both ends late on, with a sharp reaction stop from Roman keeping out Pablo Fornals, before the former West Ham United playmaker saw an effort spectacularly headed off the line by David Lopez.
Betis withstood anything Mallorca could throw at them in the dying minutes, duly sealing a third successive league win, which keeps Los Verdiblancos in fifth place for the time being - though still four points behind Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. Meanwhile, Mallorca remain one point below the relegation safety line.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antony (Real Betis)
