Almeria have sacked coach Juan Manuel Lillo in the wake of this evening's 8-0 home defeat at the hands of Barcelona.

The loss left Almeria rooted in the bottom three of the Primera Division with just one win and nine points from their opening 12 games. Despite their poor league form, Lillo did manage to guide Almeria into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey - his side beating La Liga rivals Real Sociedad home and away to record a 5-3 aggregate victory in the most recent round.

The 45-year-old took over as coach of Almeria last December following the sacking of Hugo Sanchez and helped the Andalusian side finish the campaign in 13th place.

Almeria took the decision following an emergency board meeting immediately after tonight's heavy defeat at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.

A statement on Almeria's website said: "The reasons are purely sporting ones owing to the bad results that the team have had in recent weeks in the championship, which has left the club in the relegation zone."