Neville's Nou Camp Return a Misery

Gary Neville's Valencia suffered a humiliating defeat as they were crushed by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp.

Luis Suarez scored four goals, while Lionel Messi also helped himself to a hat-trick and Neymar missed a penalty.

Valencia's cause was not helped when defender Shkodran Mustafi was sent off for fouling Messi in the first half.

Neville is also without a league win in eight attempts since taking over the club in December.

Former England and Manchester United full-back Neville was returning to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs.

As a 24-year-old he was part of the United team who won the Champions League with a spectacular late comeback against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final at the Nou Camp.

This time there was to be no miraculous turnaround.

These are testing times for the 40-year-old who was already under pressure before the game against the European champions.

The Copa del Rey had hitherto offered eight-time Premier League winner Neville some solace after five draws and three defeats in La Liga.

All four of his wins from 14 games in charge in Spain have come in this competition - yet this was nothing short of embarrassing.

Valencia were shocking from start to finish and there was only going to be one outcome once Barca went 2-0 up in 12 minutes.

Suarez broke the deadlock after racing on to Neymar's pass before the former Liverpool player doubled the lead, curling home from 10 yards after a breathless move.

Messi completed a delightful move to make it 3-0 before a frantic end to the half.

The Argentina star was denied by the bar and Neymar hit the post from the penalty spot - after being fouled by Mustafi, who was sent off.

It went from bad to worse in the second half, Suarez's back-heel allowing Messi to pick his spot inside the area and take his career tally to 500 goals.

Terrible defending by Valencia allowed Messi to complete his hat-trick and make it 5-0 after winning the ball back before firing past the keeper, who should have saved.

Suarez's hat-trick goal was a close-range header and there was still time for the Uruguay international to get his fourth - and Barca's seventh - as he found the net via the near post.

The return leg takes place at the Mestalla next Wednesday.

As bad as Valencia were, Barcelona produced an exhibition of exquisite football, a masterclass in finishing.

Luis Enrique's name was chanted by the home fans who are starting to believe their team can end the season with five trophies.

Having already sealed the Uefa Super Club and Fifa Club World Cup, they are three points clear at the top of La Liga with one game in hand. They also face Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Barca are in terrific form at the right stage of the season, sweeping aside all before them. They look an unstoppable force.

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Pundit Neville Shown White Hankies

Valencia’s struggles under Gary Neville continued when they had to come from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw in their Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg at home to Las Palmas.

The former England and Manchester United defender took over as the coach at the Mestalla last month after Nuno Espírito Santo was sacked but has yet to secure a win in La Liga in six attempts. Fans waved white handkerchiefs at the final whistle .

The draw left Neville frustrated but he was upbeat about Valencia’s performance. “When you draw a game at home you are always disappointed,” the Valencia manager said. “But if we play like we did today again we will win matches.”

Valencia fell behind in the 38th minute when the midfielder Wilfried Zahibo headed past his own goalkeeper Mathew Ryan from a free-kick.

Paco Alcácer equalised in the 61st minute with a well-struck shot from just outside the area but the home side were unable to make sustained late pressure count.

Álvaro Negredo fluffed a great chance in the third minute of added time when he failed to connect cleanly with a José Luis Gayà centre, leaving Las Palmas with an advantage for next week’s return leg in the Canary Islands.

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Valencia Give Gary Jesus Help

Valencia have reappointed Jesús García Pitarch as their sporting director to work with the club’s manager Gary Neville.

Pitarch, a former Valencia player who fulfilled the same role between 2002 and 2004 when Rafael Benítez was in charge, was confirmed in his post on Wednesday.

“We had already told our shareholders and supporters that we were revising and constantly working on the sporting structure of the club,” said the club’s president Lay Hoon Chan.

“Today we are happy with this appointment because we’ve got a person who not only is proven, but someone who has their roots at Valencia.”

Under Benítez, Valencia won the league title and Uefa Cup but the 52-year-old joins this time with the club currently in 11th place in the table after an indifferent season so far. Neville has still yet to record his first league win since succeeding Nuno Espírito Santo last month.

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Neville Looks on Valencia Draw

Gary Neville watched from the stands as his new Valencia side survived a Barcelona onslaught to hold on to a 1-1 draw. Luis Suárez struck for Barça just before the hour, but Santi Mina snatched a dramatic equaliser five minutes from time.

It was a morale-boosting result for Valencia before their Champions League game at home to Lyon on Wednesday – Neville’s first official match in charge. His side must win to keep alive their chances of advancing to the last 16.

With Neville taking a back seat, the caretaker Salvador Voro was in charge, alongside Phil Neville, as Valencia somehow came through a one-sided first half all-square.

Neymar set the tone for Barça in the opening moments when he broke clear down the left and crossed for Lionel Messi, who sent his volley wide. That was to become a feature of the first half, with Neymar tying the Valencia right-back Rúben Vezo in knots.

The Brazilian hoodwinked Vezo on the byline before cutting the ball back for Messi, who this time poked it straight at home keeper Jaume. Valencia did mount the occasional attack, though, and they felt they should have been awarded a penalty after half an hour when Gerard Piqué pulled back Enzo Pérez.

They were relieved at the other end moments later, however, when Suárez volleyed wide from another Neymar cross. Messi then played in Suárez, but he opted to cross rather than shoot.

Barça were frustrated once more just before half-time when Aderlan Santos got a vital touch on Jordi Alba’s low cross with Suárez lurking at the far post for a tap-in. But the visitors finally made the breakthrough in the 59th minute when Suárez chased Messi’s ball over the top. The striker held off the challenge of Aymen Abdennour before crashing his shot inside Jaume’s near post.

Neymar almost sealed it with a memorable second with 15 minutes left after a powerful run into the area, but his shot flew inches wide. Instead Valencia, with only their second shot on target, snatched an equaliser when Mina tucked away Paco Alcácer’s pass.

Elsewhere in La Liga, Real Madrid ended a turbulent week off the pitch on a high when Karim Benzema struck twice in a 4-1 victory over Getafe. Real’s dominant performance, with the other goals from Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, lifted them above Atlético Madrid into second for a couple of hours – but Atlético responded with a 2-0 win at Granada.

With 14 matches played, Barça lead on 34 points, two ahead of Atlético, with Real a further two points adrift in third.

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Neville Stands in at Valencia

Valencia’s coach, Nuno Espírito Santo, has resigned after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Sevilla left them ninth in La Liga. A Sergio Escudero goal was enough to see off Valencia at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in a match in which the visitors had both João Cancelo and Javi Fuego sent off.

Nuno, a former goalkeeper, was appointed at Mestalla in July 2014 to replace Juan Antonio Pizzi and guided the club to fourth place last season and Champions League qualification.

But with Valencia on the brink of elimination in the group stage and struggling in the league, Nuno revealed that he had told the owner, Peter Lim, that he intended to resign before Sunday’s game.

“Before the game I spoke with the president, with the owner, Peter Lim, and we have spoken after the game. We are all in agreement that the situation is not good. We all want to do the best for the club,” he said.

“It’s for that reason that I have taken the decision to leave the club. It’s been an honour to coach the club. I want to thank all the players I have worked with, Peter Lim and the fans.”

Reports in Spain suggested that Phil Neville, who has been working as an assistant to Nuno, will be asked to take training this week, with Frank Rijkaard and Michael Laudrup among the early contenders to succeed him.

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