A second-half double from defender Shkodran Mustafi sealed a 3-1 victory for Valencia at derby rivals Villarreal that put them on the shoulders of La Liga leaders Real Madrid on Sunday.
Sevilla had earlier missed the chance to take top spot after a first-half Aritz Aduriz volley condemned them to a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
It was not a pretty performance from Valencia but they were determined in defence and Mustafi also showed his threat in attack as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side moved into second place, a point off Real, with 23 points from 10 games.
Luck was on their side when Manuel Trigueros slid in to clear a Sofiane Feghouli cross and ended up putting the ball past his own goalkeeper after six minutes to give Valencia the lead.
Villarreal pressed forward looking for the equaliser but while they moved the ball around well they were missing the killer touch in the final third of the pitch.
Instead, midway through the second half, Mustafi headed home a Pablo Piatti cross and then minutes later in another foray forward for a corner he slotted home on the volley.
Athletic’s La Liga form has suffered as they have struggled with the extra demands of Champions League football but they came out on top against Sevilla thanks to a well-struck volley from Aduriz in the centre of the penalty area after 13 minutes.
