Valencia have extended their unbeaten start to the La Liga season courtesy of a 3-1 victory over winless Espanyol at the Mestalla.
Pablo Piatti edged Valencia ahead on seven minutes with a cool finish past Kiko Casilla, when played through one-on-one.
Espnayol thought that they had levelled it up 10 minutes after the restart when Sergio Garcia found the net, but the officials controversially ruled his effort out for offside.
To make matters worse for the visitors, Daniel Parejo made it 2-0 shortly after the hour-mark with an unstoppable strike which was out of Casilla's reach as it flew into the bottom corner.
Reported Chelsea and Arsenal transfer target Paco Alcacer added goal number three shortly after, while Sergio Garcia's late penalty was merely a consolation for Espanyol.
The victory ensures that Valencia remain in second place in the league table, while Espanyol drop to 19th.
Daniel Lewis
