JOIN USAtletico Madrid closed the gap on Barcelona to nine points at the top of La Liga, beating Valencia 1-0 on Sunday after the leaders had dropped points at local rivals Espanyol.
Angel Correa's thunderbolt from outside the area in the 59th minute helped Atletico to get a narrow win in a tight match after Barcelona drew 1-1 in Cornella.
Atletico were as miserly as ever at the back against Marcelino's Valencia as the second and third-placed clubs met at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The hosts had the upper hand, with Neto tipping away a Saul Niguez piledriver from some distance and then repelling Diego Costa's header from a corner.
Correa broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion in the 59th minute, receiving the ball from Koke and crashing a shot into the top right corner from outside the area for his sixth league goal of the season.
"There's a very long way to go, we have to continue on the same path," Correa told Movistar. "We knew it was important to win today and I'm happy to get the goal that helped the team win."