A few thousand fans protested outside the Mestalla stadium, calling players 'mercenaries' and demanding that club president Kiat Lim and team owner Peter Lim leave the club. This protest was a direct response to Valencia's demoralising 5-0 loss to Barcelona, which has seen the team lose three consecutive matches and sit at the bottom of the LaLiga table.
Some ultra fan groups had already expressed their discontent by leaving the stands empty at the start of the match. Players and coach Carlos Corberán were booed by the fans early on, and the jeers continued until the final whistle. Barcelona, meanwhile, rode a pair of goals from Lamine Yamal and one each from Raphinha, Fermín López and Pedri to win their fourth game in four outings this season, outscoring opponents 17-2 along the way.