AS.com

Goals from Roberto Soldado, Jonas Gonçalves, Ricardo Costa and Nelson Valdez handed Valencia a 4-2 victory over Getafe that gave 'los che' - and under-fire president Manuel Llorente - some much-needed breathing space.

Speaking after the match, coach Ernesto Valverde praised the improvement in his side's attacking play against 'los azulones'. However, he also sounded a note of caution about the team's defensive performance: "I didn't think we would give Getafe so many chances on goal, as all the games we have played so far have been much tighter affairs." He added that he had not expected the latter stages of the match to be so close after taking a 2-0 lead as early as the seventh minute.

Asked if he preferred cagey games to end-to-end encounters, the former Olympiacos boss noted that his preference was for matches played at only one end, and in which the other team has no chance of winning - something he admitted was 'impossible' to achieve.

"Above and beyond the result, what's important is that the team fights as hard as it can", he remarked. The Valencia coach also named his objectives for 2013: "more victories and hard work, because there is a lot that we can achieve."