Valencia rock bottom after defeat at Valladolid
Valencia finds itself at the very foot of LaLiga after a 1-0 defeat to Valladolid, which leap-frogged its opponent after claiming all the spoils from a relegation six-pointer despite going down to 10 men late in the match.
Anuar was the sole goalscorer, squeezing a shot past Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, whose touch on the ball couldn't divert it away from his goal.
It was one of very few chances in a match fuelled by desperation from both sides as they looked to move up the standings before the end of 2024.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men when Juanmi Latasa was sent off on in the 78th minute for an elbow to the chest of Cesar Tarrega, a foul that initially saw him booked before VAR called the referee to rethink his punishment with the aid of its replays.
Valencia, though, was unable to act on its numerical advantage, and despite a mountain of possession for must of what remained of the contest, clear-cut chances continued to elude them, and defeat was the result.
Valladolid is now two points better off than Los Che, although Ruben Baraja's side does still have two games in hand as a result of postponements during the recent and devastating floods in the Valencia region.
However, that will be of little consolation after a third straight defeat, Valencia now five points adrift of relegation safety.
For Valladolid, this was a first win in LaLiga since beating Alaves on 19 October (AEDT), although it has shown signs of life in the Copa Del Rey, albeit against lower league sides.
Valladolid faces Girona in its last match of the year on 21 December (AEDT), and will look to build on this success while Valencia faces more six-pointers, first against 17th-placed Espanyol next Thursday (AEDT) before a meeting with 16th-placed Alaves on 23 December.
