Valencia 2 - Sevilla 0

Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, Ayala, Pellegrino, Carboni; Rufete (Angulo 63'), Albelda, Kily González (Mista 81'); Aimar; Juan Sánchez (Fabio Aurelio 84'), Carew. 4-3-1-2.
Sevilla: Notario; Njegus, Prieto, Pablo Alfaro, David; Gallardo (Francisco 55'), Casquero, Víctor Salas, Fredi (Juanmi 46'); Reyes, Olivera (Toedtli 63'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Valencia: Juan Sánchez, Carew for De los Santos, Salva / Sevilla: Prieto, Víctor Salas, Reyes for Javi Navarro, Francisco, Moisés.

Goals:
1-0. 66. Juan Sánchez. Headed Kily González fierce drive into goal from close up.
2-0. 93. Angulo. Ran on to Aimar through pass to slip ball past keeper

Valencia hold on to top spot after a hard fought and often bad-tempered victory over Sevilla. The home side were looking to build on their seven game unbeaten run, and Rafa Benítez put out an attacking line up, with Carew, Sánchez and Aimar all in the starting line up. Joaquín Caparrós was missing the injured Moisés, but Reyes returned to the side for the first time since his freak training accident and the 50,000 crowd was boosted by a large number of scouts from all over Europe who had come to watch him. Sevilla's intentions were clear right from the start though, and they sat back to defend the draw or at best score on an isolated counter-attack. That was a dangerous thing to do against this Valencia side, but Notario was in great form in the visitors' goal, and he made spectacular saves from Carew and Albelda before the first half came to an end. Sevilla's only effort during that time came from an opposing player Pellegrino, who almost put a header past Cañizares when trying to play the ball back.

The pressure finally paid off though in the second half, when Juan Sánchez bravely stuck his head in the way of a fierce Kily González drive to deflect the ball past Notario. By then Caparrós had made all of his changes, and he was left with a man less when referee Muñiz Fernández sent off Víctor Salas for a second bookable offence. Even so Juanmi went close to levelling the scores with a header just over the bar before Angulo finally settled things with a last minute goal from Aimar's weighted pass. His celebrations were cut short however when Muñiz Fernández, gradually losing his patience with both sides, sent off the versatile utility man with a second booking for hugging a group of supporters. It was their third win and their third clean sheet in a row, and they stay a point ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table. Sevilla drop to eleventh after their second defeat in a row, but they are sitting comfortably in mid-table, their first objective of survival in the top flight almost certainly assured.