FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola piled the praise on his players after watching their second half fightback to defeat Valencia 2-1.

Barca had fallen behind to the side that kicked the game off as leaders of the BBVA Primera Liga, thanks to a first half goal from Pablo Hernandez.

The home side had been off form in the first 45 minutes, but reacted after half time. Andres Iniesta leveled the score before Carles Puyol assured the points with a towering header.

Barcelona wasted several chances to score more goals, but in the end the result inflicted the first defeat of the season on Valencia and lifted Guardiola' s side into second place in the table.

"It is a very important win against an extraordinary rival," said Guardiola in Sunday' s edition of sports paper Diario AS.

Guardiola admitted that Valencia had been the better side in the first period, but was delighted that Spain internationals Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez seemed to have recaptured their form.

"It is the sixteenth consecutive game that Andres has played and his performance is great news, although I don't think Xavi is in condition to play a match every three days," he confessed, in reference to Xavi' s Achilles tendon problems.

"We can't allow ourselves to fall into the trap of thinking that we win or lose just because of physical issues. Football is all about morale and we have to remember that your rivals also have something to say, when we have recovered our morale, our football will also return. Today the players have taken a step forward and winning this kind of game gives you strength," he concluded.