Valencia captain Dani Parejo praised Simone Zaza and Fabian Orellana following their impressive performances in the 2-1 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The duo, who joined Valencia on loan in the transfer window, scored as Los Che stunned the Liga leaders at the Mestalla.
Parejo told Cadena Ser radio: "If you want to have a starring role, you need to have a centre-forward.
"This is something we didn't have this season, and Valencia has always had a No. 9. Now we have that with Zaza, who is proving a key player."
Zaza arrived at Valencia last month after a disappointing loan spell at West Ham and had opened his account in last weekend's victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Orellana, meanwhile, celebrated his first goal since moving to Valencia on loan from Celta Vigo last month against Madrid.
"Orellana is also giving his contribution up front and he is a good assist man," Parejo added.
Valencia have risen to 14th in the table and coach Voro Gonzalez believes they are on the right track.
"These three points show us the way, they strengthen the players' confidence and that is an added value," he told Superdeporte. "We are heading in the right direction."
The only blemish on a great night for Valencia was a muscular injury suffered by Portuguese winger Nani, who came off in the 39th minute.
"We will see how serious the injury is but I expect him to miss our next two games," Voro said.
Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, meanwhile, was disappointed his team had missed the chance to stretch their lead at the top of La Liga.
Real are one point ahead of defending champions Barcelona, having played a game less.
"This defeat hurts because this was a key opportunity to have extended our advantage at the top, but we've got to move on and think about our next game," Ramos told the club's official website.
"We've got to remain calm. The Liga season is very long."
