Valencia 2 - Málaga 0

Valencia: Cañizares; Reveillère, Djukic, Pellegrino, Carboni; Baraja (Albelda 72'), Marchena; Rufete (Angulo 62'), Mista, Vicente (Kily González 77'); Juan Sánchez. 4-2-3-1.
Málaga: Contreras; Rojas, Fernando Sanz, Roteta, Valcarce; Gerardo, Romero (Canabal 68'); Manu, Sandro (Leko 87'), Musampa; Dely Valdés (Geijo 87'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Valencia: Djukic, Marchena, Mista, Vicente, Juan Sánchez for Ayala, Albelda, Aimar, Fabio Aurelio, Carew / Málaga: Sandro, Dely Valdés for Darío Silva, Canabal.

Goals:
1-0. 52. Pellegrino. Beat Contreras after ball fell to him following Rufete cross.
2-0. 75. Juan Sánchez. Got ahead of marker to poke Vicente cross past keeper.

Valencia put the pressure on the top two with a 2-0 win over Málaga, and having taken thirteen points from their last five games they are now level with Real Madrid pending Sunday's games. With the Champions League and the UEFA cup competitions returning next week, the game was brought forward to Saturday, and managers Rafa Benítez and Joaquín Peiró rested several of their key players in preparation for their midweek matches. Aimar and Carew were left on the bench, their places taken by Mista and Juan Sánchez, and with Ayala suspended Djukic made a rare appearance in defence. Peiró rested Darío Silva, who was suffering from a slight knock and was kept in reserve for Málaga's UEFA cup tie with AEK Athens on Thursday.

Despite the absences there were several chances in the first half, with Vicente going close twice and Contreras saving well from Mista, and Dely Valdés causing problems early on, including one header over the bar from Musampa's cross which should have been on target. Eight minutes in to the second half Valencia took the lead, Pellegrino scoring his first of the season after the ball fell to him when the defence failed to clear Rufete's centre, and Juan Sánchez added a second later on from Vicente's cross. Good news too for Benítez on the injury front, with Angulo and Kily González both coming on in the second half after long lay offs, and they will be available for the manager to include in his squad for Tuesday night's game with Roma.