Mista backs rejuvenated Che

Rafa Benitez's men underlined their title credentials with a crushing 3-0 defeat of high-flying Atletico Madrid on Saturday, and Mista grabbed a brace to move into second spot in the 'Pichichi' chart - behind only Ronaldo.

The former Tenerife star has enjoyed his most productive season to date on a personal level, and feels Valencia can make a genuine title push this term.

"With this victory we are fighting for first place, when we play as a team things go well for everyone and fortunately I can benefit from this," stated the 25-year-old.

"It's normal for a team to have some sort of dip, but it seems that it has now passed following the game at Malaga and this one.

"We have taken a significant step towards putting ourselves in the top four, but there is still a lot to do."

Mista admitted that he was delighted to have become the highest scoring Spaniard in La Primera this campaign, but insisted his main focus was to retain his first-team berth.

"In the end all goals count for the same, but the first one (against Atletico) was a release for us and from then on everything was better.

"I feel proud being the top national goalscorer, but I don't want to get carried away."