Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya was left disappointed by their 3-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid.

Atletico cruised to victory thanks to goals from Antoine Griezmann, Yann Carrasco and Thomas Lemar.

Gaya said, "It's obviously tough, because we came into this one off two wins at home and a good showing at the Camp Nou. We took a step backwards today and we've got the international break now.

"After that it's the most important part of the season, with a run of games that are going to decide everything. We're going to focus on the next game, against Rayo Vallecano at home, where we're strong at the moment, but today we didn't compete well and it's a defeat that hurts.

"It's not an excuse at all, We came here with a clear intention and we couldn't take the game where we wanted it. They hit us between the lines very easily and played passes through too comfortably.

"Their change of flanks also hurt us because that created a lot of space. We weren't able to take the game to where we wanted it and we didn't play well today. We needed to compete better and it's a pity, because in the situation we are in we have to compete more. In the next game, at home against Rayo, we need to go all-out again and try to get the three points."