Valencia thrash Real Betis 6-3

Madrid: Valencia spent the last couple of seasons trying to avoid relegation in the Spanish league. After eight matches this season, it's already looking to dethrone Barcelona from the top of the standings. Valencia reached second place with an emphatic 6-3 win at Real Betis yesterday, moving to within four points of Barcelona, which lost its perfect record after a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Defending champion Real Madrid, which defeated Getafe 2-1 with a late winner by Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday, is one point behind Valencia in third place. Atletico and Sevilla are another point behind. Valencia, whose last league titles came in 2002 and 2004, struggled in recent seasons under the ownership of Singapore investor Peter Lim. Under coach Marcelino Garcia, Valencia has already won five times this season, and it's coming off four straight wins while outscoring opponents 17-7."We are playing at a very high level collectively," Valencia striker Rodrigo said.