Valencia 2 - Málaga 1

Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, Ayala (Baraja 87'), Djukic, Fabio Aurelio (Carboni 80'); Rufete, Albelda, Vicente, Mista; Ilie (Aimar 66'), Salva. 4-3-1-2.
Málaga: Contreras; Josemi, Litos, Fernando Sanz, Roteta; Gerardo, Romero, Sandro (Zárate 66'), Musampa; Darío Silva, Dely Valdés (Canabal 79'). 4-4-2. Team changes: Valencia: Djukic, Salva for Pellegrino, Aimar / Málaga: Sandro for Miguel Angel.

Goals:
0-1. 14. Darío Silva. Shot in after Cañizares failed to hold on to Gerardo free kick.
1-1. 25. Vicente. Free kick from wide on right which Roteta deflected past keeper.
2-1. 30. Mista. Picked up loose ball and ran on to round keeper and score.

Valencia came from behind to win for the second week in a row and stay within three points of the leaders. Rafa Benítez left Aimar on the bench and gave his place to Mista, with Salva returning alongside Ilie up front and Djukic replacing Pellegrino who was sitting out a one match ban. Sandro replaced the suspended Miguel Angel in the Málaga side, and Baraja for the home side and Valcarce for the visitors were included amongst the respective substitutes having recovered from injuries which have kept them out all season. Málaga surprised their hosts with a quarter of an hour gone when Darío Silva was left with the easiest of goals after Cañizares failed to hold on to Gerardo's free kick. However their lead only lasted ten minutes, Vicente levelling the score with a free kick from wide out on the right which took a deflection off Roteta to deceive Contreras. Five minutes later Valencia were in front, Mista paying back the faith his manager had put in him with a coolly taken goal after Ilie had charged down a clearance.

Málaga did not give up, and Gerardo hit the bar with a long shot on the hour mark. A couple of minutes later though they were reduced to ten men when referee Daudén Ibáñez sent off Musampa, the linesman picking him out as the man who had questioned his mother's virtue, much to the Dutch player's surprise. That quietened things down, and Benítez gradually made more defensive substitutions to protect the result. His team ended with ten men as well though, as Ayala was carried off unconscious at the end after clashing with Romero with all three changes made. At the end of the weekend Valencia rose a place to seventh, well situated to keep up their challenge for a return to Champions League football next season. Málaga drop to fifteenth, only three points away from the drop zone, and manager Joaquín Peiró had harsh words for the referee after the game.