Valencia 3 - Espanyol 0

Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, David Navarro, Caneira, Moretti; Baraja, Fiore; Angulo (Rufete 76'), Aimar (Corradi 83'), Xisco (Fabio Aurelio 76'); Mista. 4-2-3-1.
Espanyol: Kameni; Ibarra, Lopo, Pochettino, David García; Morales, Ito (Jarque 67'); Miñambres (Martín Posse 10'), Maxi (Fredson 70'), Oscar Serrano; Tamudo. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Valencia: Aimar, Xisco, Mista for Marchena, Vicente, Corradi / Espanyol: Ibarra, Morales, Oscar Serrano for Jarque, De la Peña, Dani.

Goals:
1-0. 11. Baraja. Struck free kick from left of goal into far top corner of net.
2-0. 82. Mista. Got on the end of Rufete cross to turn ball past Kameni.
3-0. 89. Mista. Steered shot past keeper from Corradi's squared pass.

Valencia move ahead of Espanyol up to second in the table after beating the Catalan side 3-0. The scoreline could have been different though had referee Esquinas Torres not sent off Tamudo and Oscar Serrano as well as showing five yellow cards to visiting players for protesting after he awarded a free kick on the edge of the area three minutes before the break. The hosts were one goal up at the time, Baraja beating Kameni with an early free kick, but otherwise the visitors had held their own, and could have equalised had Esquinas given a penalty for a foul by Baraja on Maxi.

Lotina was already missing De la Peña, left in the dressing room after complaining of a stomach upset shortly before kick-off, and Miñambres had limped off with an injury in the tenth minute. Still he decided not to make any early changes after the break, looking to defend and see what could be done on the breakaway, and apart from an effort by Xisco which went wide and a double save by Kameni from Aimar, the nine men kept their opponents at bay for most of the second half.

Eventually though Mista found the way through to score twice in the last eight minutes, Fiore and Rufete combining to set him up for the first, and Corradi combining with the striker in a quick counter-attack for the second, Esquinas turning down appeals from the visiting defence for offside. It was all over, a flattering result, but Valencia had made it seven games without defeat, during which time they have only let in one goal. The message is clear, "don't rule them out yet for another crack at the title".