Valencia CF vs Villarreal CF — 17 January 2010
La Liga · Primera División 2009–10 · 17 January 2010
Match Context
The January 2010 derby between Valencia and Villarreal came midway through the 2009–10 La Liga campaign. Both clubs from the Valencian Community were chasing European qualification places, with Valencia featuring David Silva and David Villa in their attacking lineup and Villarreal building around Giuseppe Rossi, Robert Pirès, and the veteran Marcos Senna.
Unai Emery was in charge of Valencia, while Villarreal had appointed Ernesto Valverde for the season. The derby carried added significance given both clubs' proximity geographically — fewer than seventy kilometres separates Mestalla from El Madrigal.
Fixture History
The Valencia–Villarreal Valencian derby has been a regular fixture in La Liga since Villarreal's promotion to the top flight in 1998. The two clubs, separated by 68 kilometres on the coast between Valencia and Castellón, contest one of Spanish football's most regionally defined rivalries. In the 2009–10 season both sides met twice in the league, with the January encounter at Mestalla one of two Valencian Community derbies that campaign.
2009–10 Season Outcome
Valencia finished third in La Liga that season, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Villarreal placed seventh and entered the Europa League the following year. The 2009–10 campaign is also notable as Barcelona's record-setting La Liga title under Pep Guardiola, who guided the club to 99 points.
Related: La Liga archive · Teams
Match statistics
| Valencia CF | Villarreal CF | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 1 |
| Half-time | 2 | 0 |
| Shots | 20 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 11 | 2 |
| Corners | 7 | 2 |
| Fouls conceded | 18 | 14 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
The figures above are the recorded match record for 2010-01-17. Shot and card counts come from the La Liga 2009/10 season data; where a column is absent from the source for that era it is left out rather than shown as a zero.
Form going into the match
Valencia CF came in on W L D W W from their previous 5 league matches, scoring 8 and conceding 5. Villarreal CF came in on W W W D D from their previous 5 league matches, scoring 9 and conceding 5.
Before this fixture the two clubs had met 18 times in league play within the archive, with Valencia CF winning 6, Villarreal CF winning 8 and 4 drawn.
The 10 meetings before this one
| Date | Season | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-05-23 | 2008/09 | Villarreal CF | 3–1 | Valencia CF |
| 2009-01-10 | 2008/09 | Valencia CF | 3–3 | Villarreal CF |
| 2008-01-19 | 2007/08 | Villarreal CF | 3–0 | Valencia CF |
| 2007-08-26 | 2007/08 | Valencia CF | 0–3 | Villarreal CF |
| 2007-05-26 | 2006/07 | Valencia CF | 2–3 | Villarreal CF |
| 2007-01-07 | 2006/07 | Villarreal CF | 0–1 | Valencia CF |
| 2006-03-22 | 2005/06 | Valencia CF | 1–1 | Villarreal CF |
| 2005-11-05 | 2005/06 | Villarreal CF | 1–0 | Valencia CF |
| 2005-01-23 | 2004/05 | Villarreal CF | 3–1 | Valencia CF |
| 2004-08-30 | 2004/05 | Valencia CF | 2–1 | Villarreal CF |
The result in its season
The match produced 5 goals against a season average of 2.71 across the 380 fixtures played, and only 19 of those fixtures were settled by a wider margin than these 3 goals. The two sides had 25 attempts between them, below the 26.0 the average fixture produced that season. It was played around matchday 18 of the campaign.
6 other la liga matches were played the same day, the highest scoring of them ath madrid 3–2 sp gijon; across the 10 fixtures inside three days of this one the league produced 24 goals, 7 home wins and 3 draws.
Reading the record
At half-time it stood 2–0, Valencia CF ahead, and they held that lead to the final whistle at 4–1. By kick-off 173 of the season’s 380 matches had been played, with 7 more on the same day. The campaign ran from 2009-08-29 to 2010-05-16. Barcelona finished the season top on 99 points. The fixture itself has continued: the two have met 31 more times in the league since, most recently in 2026, and every one of those meetings is listed further down this page. With 6 cards shown it was a more cautioned match than the 5.4 the average fixture drew that season. Figures come from the La Liga record for 2009/10; a column the source did not keep for that era is left out of the table rather than shown as a zero, which is why the older fixtures here carry fewer numbers than the recent ones.
How the season ended
Valencia CF finished 3rd on 71 points and Villarreal CF finished 7th on 56 points in La Liga 2009/10.
The fixture since
Valencia CF and Villarreal CF have met 31 more times in league play since this match, the most recent in 2026. Across those meetings Valencia CF won 10, Villarreal CF won 14 and 7 were drawn.
The 8 most recent
| Date | Season | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-22 | 2025/26 | Villarreal CF | 2–1 | Valencia CF |
| 2025-10-25 | 2025/26 | Valencia CF | 0–2 | Villarreal CF |
| 2025-02-15 | 2024/25 | Villarreal CF | 1–1 | Valencia CF |
| 2024-08-31 | 2024/25 | Valencia CF | 1–1 | Villarreal CF |
| 2024-03-17 | 2023/24 | Villarreal CF | 1–0 | Valencia CF |
| 2024-01-02 | 2023/24 | Valencia CF | 3–1 | Villarreal CF |
| 2023-05-03 | 2022/23 | Valencia CF | 1–1 | Villarreal CF |
| 2022-12-31 | 2022/23 | Villarreal CF | 2–1 | Valencia CF |
Frequently asked
What was the final score in Valencia CF v Villarreal CF?
Valencia CF 4–1 Villarreal CF, played on 2010-01-17. The half-time score was 2–0.
How many times had Valencia CF and Villarreal CF met before this match?
18 league meetings are recorded in the archive before this one: 6 won by Valencia CF, 8 by Villarreal CF and 4 drawn.
Where did Valencia CF and Villarreal CF finish in 2009/10?
Valencia CF finished 3rd on 71 points and Villarreal CF finished 7th on 56 points in La Liga.
How many shots did each side have?
Valencia CF had 20 attempts and Villarreal CF had 5, of which 11 and 2 were on target.
How many cards were shown?
Valencia CF collected 5 yellow cards and Villarreal CF 0. There was 1 red card.
When did Valencia CF and Villarreal CF last meet?
Their most recent league meeting in the archive was on 2026-02-22: Villarreal CF 2–1 Valencia CF. They have met 31 times since the 2010-01-17 fixture.
Was 4–1 a high-scoring result for that season?
The 5 goals were above the La Liga 2009/10 average of 2.71 across 380 fixtures.
Where does Valencia CF v Villarreal CF on 2010-01-17 sit in the archive?
In La Liga 2009/10, played on 2010-01-17 and one of 380 fixtures recorded that season. Only domestic league matches are held here, so the two clubs’ cup and European ties are not covered.