As they looked to respond to defeat to Valencia last week, Elche were the better of the two sides in the first 15 minutes.
However, some sloppy defending allowed Isco to feed Pablo Fornals through for the first real chance of the game at the other end, but Matias Dituro was able to make himself big and deny the midfielder.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side continued to grow into the game, and just moments after Fornals’ chance, Troy Parrott - still without a league goal since his winner against Real Madrid in September - fired a fierce shot just wide of the post.
Having weathered the storm, Elche should have opened the scoring as the half-hour mark approached. Ruben Sanchez found German Valera in acres of space with a low cross, but the winger was unable to control it and fell over his own feet.
Federico Redondo then missed the chance to put the hosts ahead with a close-range header just before half-time, so the two sides went into the break goalless.
Having regrouped, Pellegrini’s side came out swinging for the second half as Abde Ezzalzouli found Fran Garcia in the Elche box with a headed pass, but the defender’s shot was right at Dituro.
Elche had scored 10 of their 14 prior league goals this term after the break, so it was unsurprising that they also emerged with renewed energy.
A couple of lovely turns just outside the Betis box from half-time substitute Grady Diangana gave him space to get a shot off, but Alvaro Valles was in the right place at the right time to palm it away.
Betis came close to breaking the deadlock just after the hour mark when Hector Bellerin played the ball across goal to Ezzalzouli, who, despite finding himself unmarked in the six-yard box, was unable to poke it home amid all the chaos as Dituro managed to get a toe to it.
The Elche shot-stopper came up trumps again just a few minutes later, diving to deny Isco’s curling effort that looked destined for the top corner.
However, there was nothing Dituro could do in the 81st minute as the visitors finally got their goal. Substitute Dani Ceballos sent a lovely cross into the Elche box, and after Jose Morante’s header bounced off the post, the Elche defenders failed to clear their lines and Rodrigo Riquelme fired it past Dituro.
Marc Bartra then put the game beyond any doubt in the 89th minute, heading home from a corner to score for a second successive LaLiga outing and ensuring that Betis ended a three-game winless away run in all competitions.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Isco (Real Betis)
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