Carlos Soler was delighted to prove the matchwinner for Valencia in victory over Girona.
The midfielder scored from the spot for the 1-0 win on Sunday, with teammate Eray Comert sent off on 52 minutes.
Soler said: "I'm happy about the victory and the three points, for the team and for the fans, who were impeccable and helped us a lot.
"It was similar in terms of the result, my penalty goal and the sending-off. Last year we had a sending-off in the first minute and we struggled more. We worked well today and they had hardly any chances.
"I'm very grateful to the fans. When Eray was sent off, it seemed like we still had 11 men thanks to them. They helped us a lot.
"Penalties and set pieces are things that we practice in training and, although I scored every penalty I took last year, you can always improve. I keep practicing them and hopefully this streak will continue."