Alvaro Negredo scored an early contender for goal of the season as Valencia drew level twice to earn a draw against Rayo Vallecano.
Deserved lead at half-time for Los Vallecanos
It was easy to see at the start of the game that Paco Jemez had deployed his team to press the Valencia back line high up the pitch and try to force them into making errors, which seemed to be working in the first few moments of the match.
In the first minute, Nacho found himself well up the pitch and inside Valencia’s box, he struck a volley but it sailed over the cross-bar.
Not long after it should have been 1-0 to the away side, as Miku met an Embarba cross, but the Venezulan striker’s header rattled the crossbar.
Rayo Vallecano took the lead in the 15th minute after Quini played in a wonderful cross toward the edge of the box, which Jozabed met with the side of his boot to beautifully guide the ball into the corner of the goal.
The match then quietened down until the 36th minute when former Valencia player Pablo Hernandez played a quick one-two with Miku, whose shot looked like it was going into the top corner until Aderlan Santos blocked it.
The first real opportunity for Los Che came five minutes before the half time whistle as Rodrigo was found at the back post from a Dani Parejo corner and his volley was blocked by his own team-mate Santi Mina.
Negredo wonder goal pulls Valencia back into the match
Into the second-half, Rayo Vallecano continued to control the game with their first chance of the half coming when Miku turned and shot on the edge of the six-yard box, but his shot went wide.
A few minutes later, Mathew Ryan saved Valencia from going 2-0 down when he performed a miraculous triple save. The clearance from Joao Cancelo was won by Negredo on the half way line, the Spanish striker turned and hit a magnificent strike which flew over the Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Juan Carlos. A goal which surely will be a contender for goal of the season.
Valencia started to find their rhythm when Rodrigo burst through the away sides defence, but his shot was saved well by Carlos.
The game at Mestalla petered out for a while until a Jozabed corner was allowed to bounce inside the Valencia box and centre-back Diego Llorente struck the ball beyond Ryan to put his side back into the lead.
Rodrigo then had another chance to score and savour Valencia’s unbeaten home record this season, but his header was saved well again by the Rayo goalkeeper.
Paco Alcacer, who replaced Negredo, thought he had drew Valencia level when he finished well inside the box, but the referee ruled the goal out due to offside, but after a second look, Alcacer was clearly onside and the young Spaniard was booked for protesting the call.
Moments later, Alcacer did make it 2-2 after some good build-up play between him and Zakaria Bakkali which saw the young Belgian square the ball for Alcacer, who had the easy job of placing the ball into the open net.
2-2 at the end of the match and Gary Neville is still searching for his first win in La Liga. Neville’s next opportunity will be against Las Palmas.