Malaga 0 - 2 Valencia
David Villa maintained his sensational early season form as the sharpest of sharp ends to Valencia's attack, grabbing both goals in a match where the hosts enjoyed much of the possession.
Unai Emery ran the gauntlet by fielding El Guaje, who is still feeling the effects of an ankle strain. But there was no evidence of the ailment as the striker put Malaga to the sword and silenced the Rosaleda crowd, aided by another splendid performance from Juan Manuel Mata, who himself is fast becoming the go-to player for Los Che.
Emery made a couple of changes from the side that eventually overcame Osasuna at the Mestalla on the weekend, with Del Horno coming in for Moretti at left back, Pablo replacing Joaquin on the right wing, former club captain David Albelda returning to anchor the midfield with Edu dropping to the bench, while Miguel Angulo supported Villa as Nando Morientes watched from the sidelines.
Malaga started the better, and showed no fear of the opposition by bombing forward at every opportunity, in spite of a dire start to La Liga heralding attempts within the camp to quell any early season panic.
Valencia were not able to assert themselves in the early stages, and were made to focus on closing down and cutting out attacks and dangerous balls coming in an around the penalty area.
In spite of Malaga's early dominance, it was Los Che, albeit with a hefty wedge of luck, that went closest in the opening quarter. After the awarding of a free kick on 15 minutes, Manuel Fernandes' effort took a massive deflection that saw the ball career off the cross bar, and Villa was unable to divert the rebound on target when an opening goal seemed on the cards.
It proved the best and only real chance of the first half for the visitors, who had their backs to the wall for much of the evening's play. Malaga's display was by far the more fluid, but they suffered with the final ball despite getting in and behind the Che rearguard on a number of occasions. Nevertheless, Valencia's defence stood firm, expertly marshalled by commanding centre-backs Alexis and Raul Albiol.
Halftime saw Emery make two changes, as Joaquin replaced the ineffective and largely anonymous Pablo while Edu took to the field for Manuel Ferandes, as the frustrating Portuguese talent faded away in the first period.
Los Che's centre-back duo, who are beginning to fashion a solid partnership in the early season absence of Spain Euro 2008 rock Carlos Marchena, were pushed to the very limit five minutes into the second period, when Albiol was forced to clear a shot off the line. A cross-field pass found striker Baha who fired in an effort from the right side of the area. Brazilian stopper Renan parried the effort, but it fell at the feet of Baha's assistant, Malaga's Pablo, who saw his shot cleared superbly by the retreating Albiol.
Just when it seemed Emery needed to make further adjustments if Valencia were to snatch a goal, the former Almeria boss swapped Moretti for a disgruntled looking Del Horno. However, the 36 year old coach's decision to stick with the current attacking set-up paid dividends with twenty minutes to play.
In a dramatic turn of events, Malaga substitute Cheli completely missed the target with a poor effort when a Gamez cross found the midfielder unmarked in the centre of the Che box. The hosts were made to pay moments later. El Guaje was put through superbly by Mata but the chance went begging as Francesc Arnau saved his effort, only for Mata to pounce and retrieve possession in the area. The livewire winger made space where there was none, and hit a right-footed toe poke across the six yard box for Villa to divert the ball home.
Valencia were cruising, and set about comfortably soaking up any attempted onslaughts as Malaga probed for an equaliser. The hosts had not managed a single goal all season, and they never came close to fashioning one after Villa's opener.
Malaga substitute and former Valencia striker Salva Ballesta saw a straight red for a late challenge on Edu in the penalty area, as the Brazilian looked to clear the ball, though the decision seemed harsh. In any event, El Guaje killed the game off in injury time, again courtesy of a Mata pass, allowing Villa to surge through on goal and calmly rifle the ball past Arnau.
Valencia maintain their unbeaten record with another win, making it three out of four for the season and a joint top position again secured at the summit of La Liga.
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