Valencia's Manuel Fernandes: We Needed A Victory

Manuel Fernandes has revealed why Valencia celebrated the win against Racing Santander so much and stated that there is still a long way to go for the team.

The Portuguese midfielder stated that los Che were delighted because not only had they won away with ten men, but also they had kept their first clean sheet in 23 matches.

That run has left the team out of the top four and facing criticism from their own fans each week, but Fernandes hopes this could be the start of an upturn in fortunes.

"It was a good win, but it does not mean that we are playing well again because it is just a small step and we have to improve in many aspects," Marca quoted him as saying.

"We needed a victory in order to move forward in our next few games.

"It was vital because we wanted a clean sheet and we celebrated like it was a cup final because we had been waiting a long time for it."

David Albelda made it clear how he felt about Raul Albiol giving away a last-minute penalty, which was missed, by grabbing the player's collar, but Fernandes played down the incident.

"I do not think there was anything in it. It was just a mad moment and not much attention should be paid to it," he added.

Lucas Brown Goal.com