Espanyol 2 - Valencia 1

Espanyol: Lemmens; Domoraud, Lopo, Pochettino, David García; Fredson, Morales, Wome; De la Peña, Hadji (Maxi 82'); Tamudo. 4-3-2-1.
Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, Ayala, Pellegrino, Garrido; Sissoko, Baraja; Angulo, Aimar, Vicente; Mista. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Espanyol: Domoraud, David García, Fredson for Carlos García, Vignal, Maxi / Valencia: Pellegrino, Garrido, Sissoko, Angulo, Aimar for Marchena, Carboni, Albelda, Rufete, Oliveira.

Goals:
1-0. 38. Tamudo. Took lifted pass from De la Peña and shot low past keeper.
2-0. 75. Tamudo. Header from corner which Cañizares let through his hands.
2-1. 77. Mista. Header from close up after corner headed on by Aimar.

Second placed Valencia were beaten 2-1 by struggling Espanyol, their second defeat in a row to teams from the city of Barcelona. The game was affected by a heavy snowstorm which turned the pitch white within a few minutes of the kick off, but the locals mastered the conditions well and Lopo went close to scoring after Cañizares dropped the ball at his feet, Pellegrino clearing the danger in the end. The keeper turned a Tamudo effort away for a corner a few minutes later, but he could do nothing when De la Peña found the Spanish international striker for him to score the opening goal late in the half.

By now conditions were becoming difficult, not helped by the referee bringing on an orange ball but then deciding to change it again for a white one as it clashed with Valencia's orange shirts. The snow started to settle, and groundsmen had to clear the touchlines at the interval to allow play to go on. And as a result there was little constructive play until a quarter of an hour from the end, when Tamudo got his second of the night with a header from a corner which Cañizares let through his hands, the referee ruling that the ball had crossed the line before being cleared by a defender.

Valencia's only efforts up to that point had come in a brief flurry of activity in the first half, Sissoko shooting just wide and Aimar seeing an effort blocked by Pochettino after Mista had had got ahead of Lemmens to set him up. But only two minutes after the second goal, Mista pulled one back to set up an exciting finish. Espanyol held on though for three vital points which keeps their hopes of salvation alive, even though they are still six points away from safety as the teams above them also won. Valencia lose ground on leaders Real Madrid, now eight points above them, although they hold on to second place thanks to the defeat of Deportivo.