Second-half goals from Juan Mata and David Silva fired Champions League-chasing Valencia to victory over Almeria.

After a goalless first half in which the Almeria goal led a charmed life, Valencia finally made the breakthrough in the 63rd minute when Mata rifled home and Silva then made sure of the points with a second strike seven minutes later.

The triumph ended a run of five league and Europa League matches without a victory for third-placed Valencia and means they now boast a four-point gap over Real Mallorca, who replaced Sevilla in fourth place this weekend.

The victory will have been especially pleasing for Valencia coach Unai Emery, who not only enjoyed a three-point haul against his former club but also saw his current side avoid suffering any more disciplinary problems.

In their previous eight matches, Los Che had picked up as many red cards.

Valencia also managed to avoid having anyone sent-off in Thursday`s thrilling 4-4 Europa League draw at Werder Bremen, a result that sent them through to the quarter-finals and a showdown with Atletico Madrid on away goals.

Buoyed by that success, Valencia started tonight's match in rampant form and could easily have wrapped the game up inside the opening half-hour as they created chance after chance.

The first opportunity fell to Silva in the second minute, but he was denied by a superb save from Diego Alves.

Alves then produced an even better one-handed stop to keep out Ruben Baraja's header from the resulting corner, before the Valencia midfielder somehow contrived to blaze the rebound over the bar from five yards out with Alves still grounded.

Pablo Hernandez was next to miss, toe-poking inches wide following a clever back-heel from David Villa, and then Silva saw another shot deflected just wide with Alves beaten.

The opportunities continued to fall Valencia's way and Ever Banega went close in the ninth minute.

In-form Almeria, who had won five of their 11 matches and and lost just once - away to Sevilla - since Juan Manuel Lillo replaced Hugo Sanchez as coach at Christmas, threatened when Pablo Piatti headed a corner over from close range, but that was only a brief break from Valencia's onslaught on the visiting goal.

Mata had a goal disallowed for offside in the 18th minute, Banega drew another save from Alves with a 25-yard shot and Silva then glanced a header just wide.

It was anyone`s guess how Valencia failed to score prior to the break, and they almost had salt added to their wounds at the start of the second period when Piatti nearly found the far top corner after cutting inside Jordi Alba.

Los Che survived that scare though, and they finally got the goal they deserved soon after the hour mark.

Silva's brilliant pass picked out Mata inside the area and he took one touch before firing a low right-footed shot past Alves.

That goal will have been greeted by a collective sigh of relief from the home fans, but Los Che had to survive another fright before killing the game off.

Piatti was again Almeria's dangerman, firing in a shot at the near post that was deflected away off Cesar`s chest.

Almeria would come no closer to an equaliser though, as 60 seconds later Valencia doubled their lead.

Silva went sprawling in the area as he tried to get on the end of Villa`s pass, but he still managed to spin on the ground and, whilst lying on his side, stab the ball past Alves to seal a deserved victory.