Valencia 1 - Málaga 0

Valencia: Cañizares; Garrido, Marchena, Pellegrino, Carboni; Albelda, Baraja; Jorge López, Mista (Aimar 63), Vicente (Canobbio 63'); Oliveira (Momo 87'). 4-2-3-1.
Málaga: Arnau; Josemi, Fernando Sanz, Litos, Valcarce; Gerardo (Luque 61'), Romero; Manu (Diego Alonso 86'), Insúa (Edgar 61'), Duda; Salva. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Valencia: No change / Málaga: Insúa, Salva for Edgar, Diego Alonso.

Goals:
1-0. 43. Marchena. Poked ball over line from left of goal following Vicente free kick.

Valencia beat Málaga 1-0 thanks to a goal late in the first half from Marchena, their second single goal victory in a row. Rafa Benítez once again left Ayala out of his squad and started with Aimar on the bench after returning only recently from international duty. Salva was making his first start for the visitors against the club who had loaned him out, and another on-loan player Diego Alonso was on the bench.

Salva appeared lost up front though, and the only chances in the first half fell to the home side. Arnau just managed to hold on to a shot from Jorge López, and later on he stopped efforts from Mista and Vicente. Just before the break though Vicente took a free kick from out near the corner flag on the left, and in the ensuing mêlée the ball fell to Marchena close to goal for him to poke it past the keeper.

Valencia continued to attack after the break, with Oliveira still looking for his first goal but being thwarted two or three times by Arnau. The introduction of Aimar added ideas to the attack, but they couldn't add to their lead. And in the dying minutes the visitors came close to equalising when Diego Alonso headed just wide. The result takes the hosts into the top four and leaves the Andalucians next to bottom without having scored a single goal in three games.