Spain
strikers Paco Alcacer and Dani Parejo scored twice each to lead Valencia to a
commanding 5-1 victory at Celta Vigo on Saturday that its beleaguered coach
hopes will mark a turning point for his inconsistent Spanish league side.
The scoring
duo also combined for good passing moves against a third-place Celta side that
failed to convert a steady stream of scoring chances during the first hour.
Valencia's
first away win in the league in four outings came after a disappointing 1-0
loss at Ghent in the Champions League.
It should
also relieve some pressure on coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who has been
criticised by some fans for banishing star striker Alvaro Negredo from his
squad, before the break for international matches.
"This
was an important match before the international break," Espirito Santo
said.
"The
turning point we will see in two weeks. The loss in Belgium made us
reflect."
Elsewhere,
Eibar continued its surprising season by remaining in sixth place, just above
Valencia, with a 3-1 win over visiting Getafe.
Eibar
forward Sergi Enrich scored twice before provoking a penalty converted by Saul
Berjon that left Getafe with 10 men when Damien Suarez was shown a red card in
the 60th.
Rayo
Vallecano also got two early goals from Javi Guerra before defender Ze Castro
earned his second booking in the 20th, but the hosts held on for a 2-1 win over
strugglers Granada.
Lucas Perez
scored his seventh goal of the season for Deportivo La Coruna before Victor
Camarasa salvaged a 1-1 draw for bottom side Levante with a free kick.
Alcacer
opened the scoring at Balaidos Stadium in the 13th after he worked a one-two
passing combination with Parejo.
Augusto
Fernandez leveled for the hosts in the 24th, but Parejo dipped a free kick over
the wall and into the corner of the net just before halftime to restore
Valencia's advantage.
Alcacer
added to the lead seconds after the restart when he poached Jonathan Castro's
poor pass before he set up Parejo to score again in the 64th.
Shkodran
Mustafi headed home in the 79th to cap the rout.
"We
were all looking for a win like this one," Parejo said. "You saw a
Valencia with its pride stung and we brought it all out."
Celta wasted
a chance to pull level on points with the top two teams in the league before
leader Real Madrid and second-place Barcelona play on Sunday. It remained three
points behind the front-runners, and can be overtaken by Atletico Madrid and
Villarreal, who also play on Sunday.
"We
conceded goals that normally we don't concede, but we have enough of a team to
bounce back from this," Celta defender Sergi Gomez said.
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