Antony had registered four assists in his last seven appearances for Betis, and he was left stunned at not adding to that tally in the opening exchanges here. A slick move from the hosts saw the Brazilian slipped in on the inside right, but his square ball was inexplicably directed wide from point-blank range by Abde Ezzalzouli.
That miss looked set to be punished when Valencia’s promising start resulted in them winning a penalty, with Aitor Ruibal - making his 200th appearance for Los Verdiblancos - being punished for a clumsy challenge on Arnaut Danjuma.
Pepelu stepped up from 12 yards, but after a slow run-up, his spot-kick was brilliantly denied by Alvaro Valles.
Undeterred, Los Che shook off that setback and hit the front soon afterwards through Luis Rioja, who received a lay-off from Lucas Beltran before drilling a low strike past a motionless Valles.
That looked a crucial strike given that Valencia were yet to win a league game after conceding first this season, but they couldn’t make their advantage count as they were pegged back almost instantly.
Ruibal atoned for conceding a penalty by winning one at the other end, having been fouled by Jose Copete, and Chimy Avila emphatically converted from 12 yards, powering home his first LaLiga goal since scoring against Valencia back in November 2024.
Betis failed to build on that, and were fortunate not to fall behind in first-half stoppage time when Dimitri Foulquier flashed an effort off target from the centre of the box.
Missed chances continued to haunt Valencia after the restart, with Beltran receiving a cutback from Danjuma and seeing a shot blocked by Marc Bartra, before Filip Ugrinic stung Valles’ palm from distance and Copete somehow failed to connect from inside the six-yard box after a corner landed at his feet.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men may have been expected to push on for a late winner, but their attacking play left plenty to be desired in the second period.
It looked as though something special would be required if they were to snatch a winner, and Nelson Deossa ultimately provided it by driving down the right wing and picking out Pablo Fornals, who slotted home the decisive strike after his initial effort was blocked.
Just a third win in eight league matches sees Betis leapfrog Espanyol, while Valencia remain just two points clear of the relegation zone as their three-match winning run across all competitions came to an end.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nelson Deossa (Real Betis)
