With both sides scoring just once in their opening three games, there appeared little hope of a high-scoring contest. However, it took just seven minutes for the hosts’ captain for the night, Toni Lato, to cut in and curl a sensational right-footed effort into the far corner to leave David Soria stranded. Los Che had another inside a quarter of an hour, as Yunus Musah dinked a perfectly-weighted pass to Samuel Lino, who finished clinically for his first Valencia goal.
Remarkably, it was 3-0 just 15 seconds after the restart, as Samu Castillejo gratefully received a terrible pass out from Soria, hitting a first-time finish for his first goal since December 2020. There was a blow to come, though, as Marcos André was forced off due to a head injury and replaced by Hugo Duro who could have scored with his first touch. The visitors’ evening then got worse as their captain Djené departed with an injury of his own before the half-hour mark.
Getafe reverted to a back five and it initially seemed as though they’d stemmed the flow of Valencia goals; that is until the hosts resumed the rout, scoring two in three minutes. Nico González met Hugo Guillamón’s corner delivery and got enough power on his header for it to squirm through Soria’s arms, seeing the Barcelona loanee mark his first Valencia start with his maiden goal for the club. Duro then got in on the action, racing behind Getafe’s backline to latch onto Musah’s through ball and finish. There would be a fleeting moment of joy for the Getafe faithful, as Gastón Álvarez netted a late consolation, beating Giorgi Mamardashvili with a good finish.
Gennaro Gattuso would have a frustrating moment before the FT whistle though, as Ilaix Moriba was given a second yellow for a reckless challenge on Jaime Mata. Even so, Valencia enjoyed their first victory since the opening day in their first match since Carlos Soler moved to Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, Getafe now have one win from their last 24 away LL matches, and suffered the added annoyance of Mauro Arambarri being sent offin the final seconds.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yunus Musah (Valencia)