Needing a win to stand any chance of escaping the drop, Leganes set out on the offensive from the off, searching for an opening in Valladolid’s low block.
Tenacious play from Yan Diomande almost created the first meaningful chance after a quarter of an hour, but Karl Hein was alert to smother the ball before producing a smart save to deny Dani Raba minutes later.
With Espanyol crucially still goalless against already relegated Las Palmas, Los Pepineros took a huge stride towards safety, breaking the deadlock 25 minutes in when Javi Hernandez swept a side-footed effort into the top corner.
An offside from Munir El Haddadi in the build-up denied Seydouba Cisse soon after, but the home fans didn’t have to wait long for their side to assert their dominance on proceedings.
Diomande displayed exceptional feet to glide through the Blanquivioletas before confidently slotting home, and he followed up that sensational goal with a second assist of the afternoon, teeing up Juan Cruz at the back post via a parry from Hein.
Cruising at the interval, Leganes had all but wrapped up the points against the league’s bottom side, who were staring at a record-breaking 12th straight LaLiga defeat.
Raba threatened with a low shot early in the second half, but the focus amongst the home crowd was now firmly on events unfolding in Barcelona, where Espanyol took the lead after 65 minutes, plunging Leganes back into the drop zone.
Back at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque, a low-key second period continued to play out, with Valladolid long since relegated and Leganes unable to further affect the league table.
The game drifted towards its inevitable conclusion, and, despite just two losses in their last nine games (W2, D4) giving Leganes a fighting chance, a second Espanyol goal meant it’s ultimately heartbreak for the home fans; their side returned to the second tier alongside their defeated opponents after gaining promotion together last year.
A league-high 90 goals conceded typifies a desperate campaign for Valladolid, going down with just one point from their final 19 games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yan Diomande (Leganes)