Valencia 2 - 1 Sevilla: Super-sub Alvaro Negredo snatches win for Valencia

Posted Monday, April 11, 2016 by PA

Substitute Alvaro Negredo notched a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Valencia brought their Primera Division losing streak to an end with a 2-1 victory over Sevilla at the Mestalla.

Los Che - playing at home for the first time since Gary Neville's sacking as boss last month and having suffered defeat in each of their previous four league games - deservedly opened the scoring in the 41st minute via Daniel Parejo's free-kick.

It subsequently looked as if they were going to be denied the win when Sevilla substitute Kevin Gameiro struck his 15th league goal of the season in the 86th minute.

But Negredo, introduced seconds before Gameiro's goal, then took advantage of sloppy play by the visitors in the dying moments as they attempted to defend a free-kick, tucking the loose ball home from close range.

The result sees Valencia, now working under Pako Ayestaran, move up to 13th in the table, and with them now on 37 points with six games to go, any relegation fears will have eased considerably. Sevilla, meanwhile, stay seventh.

The hosts started positively, Paco Alcacer bringing an early stop out of Sergio Rico, who then saved again when Parejo tried his luck.

Valencia's dominance bore fruit just before the interval as Parejo's free-kick sailed past Rico, possibly having taken a slight deflection off the Sevilla wall.

After Rico claimed a Parejo shot early in the second half, the home side were perhaps lucky not to give away a penalty as Shkodran Mustafi got to grips with Fernando Llorente.

As the game entered its final 10 minutes, Coke blew a great chance to equalise with a header, moments before Gameiro did produce a leveller, beating Diego Alves at his near post having collected the ball from Michael Krohn-Dehli.

Valencia then hit back right at the end as Sevilla failed to deal with Parejo's delivery and Negredo reacted first to slot in from close range.