After taking one win from his first six matches as Sevilla boss, Garcia Pimienta knew he needed a win to alleviate the pressure that was already building on his shoulders.
He would have been encouraged when he saw Saul Niguez send an early strike whistling just over Karl Hein’s crossbar.
First-half chances proved to be few and far between following Saul’s early effort as Valladolid did their utmost to frustrate their hosts. However, Sevilla’s persistence ultimately paid off on the stroke of half-time as Dodi Lukebakio saw his driven ball across goal turned in by a combination of Peque and Valladolid defender David Torres.
In contrast to their strong finish to the first period, they experienced a disastrous start to the second half as Saul was stretchered off just moments before Kike Perez restored parity.
In his final act before being withdrawn, Kike latched onto Mario Martin’s neat cut-back before guiding his deflected effort beyond the dive of Orjan Nyland.
After being stunned by their newly-promoted opponents, Sevilla quickly went in search of the game’s next goal as Ejuke forced Karl Hein to make a strong save to his left. The Arsenal loanee was required to make another important stop to thwart Peque, springing off his line to keep the ball out with his left knee.
Unfortunately for Hein, there was nothing he could do to prevent Ejuke from netting the all-important winner. The substitute pounced on a loose Valladolid pass before directing his precise strike into the bottom corner to score his first goal in a Sevilla shirt.
Marcao received a second yellow card in the closing stages for a cynical foul, but crucially, the hosts managed to stand firm to claim their second win of the season. As for the visitors, they have now gone six games without a win, leaving them languishing in the drop zone.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Chidera Ejuke (Sevilla)
