Ernesto Valverde was a relieved man as Barcelona ended their wait for an away win in La Liga with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Getafe.

Their first victory away from home since April was a vital one ahead of the derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid later on Saturday night.

“This match was crucial for us to rid ourselves of the sensation of never being able to win away,” said Valverde.

“We knew that we were going to play at a very demanding ground in hot conditions, on a pitch where the ball doesn’t zip much and against a tough opponent that stops you from playing.

“We didn’t play well in the first half but once we took the lead they basically didn’t have any chances.”

A remarkable counter-attack goal launched by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and finished off by Luis Suarez put Barca on their way four minutes before the break, and Junior’s tap-in shortly after the restart made sure of the three points.

Ter Stegen is embroiled in a row with Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer over the Barca stopper’s lack of opportunities with the Germany team.

However he showed his class when he raced out of his goal to stop a Getafe attack before launching a pin-point pass over the home side’s dozing defence to Suarez, who calmly lobbed the opener over David Soria.

“Sometimes when passes come off like this the goalkeeper is just clearing the ball. I don’t know if that is the case here, but regardless he brings us a lot,” added Valverde.

The win was Barca’s second in a week as they attempt to recover from an miserable start that led to questions surrounding Valverde’s future.