Valladolid 0 - Valencia 2

Valladolid: Alberto; Pedro López, Rafa, García Calvo, Marcos; Sisi (Kome 60'), Alvaro Rubio (Ogbeche 74'), Vivar Dorado, Capdevila (Borja 69'); Víctor, Llorente. 4-4-2.
Valencia: Hildebrand; Caneira, Raúl Albiol, Iván Helguera, Moretti; Maduro, Banega (Sunny 68'), Marchena; Joaquín (Arizmendi 67'), David Villa (Zigic 84'), Mata. 4-3-3.

Team changes: Valladolid: Alberto, Rafa for Sergio Asenjo, Iñaki Bea / Valencia: Caneira, Banega, Mata for Arizmendi, David Silva, Vicente.

Goals:
0-1. 59. Mata. Controlled long Marchena pass and ran on to shoot past Alberto.
0-2. 71. David Villa. Got on end of Arizmendi cross to turn ball into net.

Valencia's cup success has finally kick-started their season, and they beat Valladolid 0-2 for a first league win in ten matches. The locals had only lost once in their last five games, and they started well, Rafa heading wide and Hildebrand saving from Víctor and Llorente. Maduro was lucky to be let off a second booking which would have left his side with ten men, and Hildebrand did well to keep out Víctor again soon after the break.

Ronald Koeman's side had hardly had a shot at goal up to then, but they went ahead when Mata controlled a long pass from Marchena and ran on to shoot wide of Alberto on the hour mark. And a few minutes later David Villa scored the second from Arizmendi's cross, his first league goal in almost three months. After that the heavens opened, and any further creative play was virtually impossible. Valencia had the win, and Koeman had another life-line.