A late Joaquin Sanchez strike proved enough for Malaga to brush aside a determined but 10-man Real Valladolid on Saturday evening.
Former Manchester United forward Manucho was an early force in attack for the visitors and gave them an unexpected lead with less than 10 minutes on the clock, after turning neatly and finishing a loose ball in the box that Malaga had failed to deal with.
However, Isco continued his notable contribution to the season so far with the home side’s equaliser, eight minutes before the break, as he controlled neatly on the edge of the area before picking the bottom left corner of the goal.
Both sides pressed for a match-winner in the second half, with Valladolid’s flurry of chances soon followed at the other end by Malaga’s.
The game looked to take a decisive turn with 10 minutes to go, when Manucho was shown a second yellow after his aerial challenge on Martin Demichelis was deemed a foul.
The Anchovies initially failed to capitalise and criminally so when Joaquin Sanchez missed from the penalty spot just three minutes later.
Even so, the home side did grab a late winner when the winger volleyed in to make up for his miss.
