Valencia 2 - Sporting Gijón 3

Valencia: Renan; Miguel, Marchena, Raúl Albiol, Moretti; Albelda (Edu 74'), Manuel Fernandes (Baraja 58'); Joaquín (Angulo 78'), Mata, Vicente (Morientes 46'); David Villa. 4-2-3-1.
Sporting: Cuéllar; Sastre, Gerard, Neru, Canella; Michel, Camacho; Luis Morán (Kike Mateo 87'), Barral (Matabuena 76'), Diego Castro (Pedro 85'); Bilic. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Valencia: Vicente for Baraja / Sporting: Michel, Barral for Matabuena, Kike Mateo.

Goals:
0-1. 19.Luis Morán. Ran on to Michel's lobbed pass and shot low past Renan.
0-2. 51. Barral. Beat Moretti with "bicycle" run and shot inside near post.
1-2. 68. David Villa (penalty). After ball hit Barral on arm inside penalty area.
1-3. 81. Diego Castro. Juggled ball in area and poked angled shot past keeper.
2-3. 90. Mata. Controlled Baraja pass on thigh and shot wide of Cuéllar.

Yellow cards: Neru 38', Barral 54', Albelda 57', Baraja 75'.

Third placed Valencia started their match against Sporting Gijón on Saturday evening knowing that one of their close rivals Real Madrid had lost. But they failed to take advantage, the Asturians surprising their hosts to run out 2-3 winners. The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half, Luis Morán running on to Michel's high pass to coolly shoot past Renan.

Cuéllar had to keep out a Joaquín header later in the first half, but Morán hit the post at the other end before the half time whistle. And six minutes after the restart Barral made it two, bamboozling Moretti with five or six "bicicletas" before shooting inside the near post.

Emery had brought on Morientes at the break, and the striker headed another chance wide. Michel fired a long shot just over the bar, but midway through the second half the ball hit Barral on the arm in the area, and David Villa stepped up to convert the resulting penalty against his old club, his 100th goal in the league to date.

Far from being over-awed though, Sporting scored again, Diego Castro antics more at home in a circus as he juggled the ball past Albiol and poked an angled shot past Renan. Cuéllar was called upon again to keep out Edu and Albiol, and Mata scored a second for the Ches after Baraja set him up. But it was Sporting's night, and they move up the table to seventh pending Sunday's results.