FOR A LONG time this evening, it seemed Gary Neville was going to get a much needed break from the intense criticism that has shrouded his last few weeks in charge at Valencia.
And then, along came a late equaliser and a draw was snatched from the jaws of victory.
Facing Barcelona in the second-leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, Neville’s charges had nothing to lose – trailing 7-0 from that humiliating clash against the Catalans last week.
A win would’ve given them a little bit of confidence and they were in front before the break when Alvaro Negredo pounced from close-range after his initial effort was saved by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
But the game was a damp squib, really.
With a sparse crowd, it was all very low-key and to make matters worse, Valencia failed to hold on to the lead.
Just moments after being introduced, Wilfrid Kaptoum was perfectly placed to side-foot to the net with six minutes left, leaving Neville, once again, to rue what might have been.
His struggling side are back in league action at the weekend when they face Espanyol.
