Lucas Ocampos and Youssef En-Nesyri struck to earn new Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar a crucial 2-0 victory over La Liga relegation rivals Cadiz in his first game in charge on Saturday.
The Andalusian derby was an early test for the former Eibar coach, who replaced Jorge Sampaoli, and his team rose to the challenge with a back-to-basics display to move into midtable.
Sevilla struggled to create chances in a tight first half which the hosts shaded, but Ocampos broke the deadlock soon after the break.
Cadiz goalkeeper David Gil punched a corner into his path and the forward drove home confidently.
En-Nesyri finished well on the break to double his team's lead after Bryan Gil cushioned the ball into his path with a nice touch.
Oliver Torres came close in stoppage time as Sevilla climbed to 13th, five points above the relegation zone.
Sevilla have not finished in the bottom half of La Liga since they were promoted to the top flight in 2001.
Earlier Girona snatched a 2-1 win in a Catalan derby clash with Espanyol thanks to Christhian Stuani's late penalty.
Both sides had a player sent off as Girona, 10th, left Espanyol 17th, a point above the relegation zone.
Getafe earned a creditable 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao and are 14th, four points above the bottom three.
Later on Saturday, leaders Barcelona face bottom of the table Elche, while on Sunday Real Madrid, second, welcome Real Valladolid.