Valencia coach Unai Emery is pleased with his side despite their 3-1 aggregate loss to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

Heading into Wednesday's tie having drawn the first leg at the Mestalla 1-1, Valencia were put to the sword by goals from Cesc Fabregas and Xavi, ending their chances of winning the competition they last won in 2008.

However, Emery insists he is proud of the way his team played, and concedes they still have some way to go before they are capable of matching the reigning Spanish and European champions.

"We have to give credit to Valencia for what they did against a great rival and great players," Emery said in his post-match press conference. "To beat them we have to do things better.

"We have two good matches against them but we missed something. The most important thing is that we had chances to score, which is positive, while the negative aspect was that we allowed them to create chances which we did not want them to have.

"We were unlucky enough to have good matches and good spells, but we could not beat Barca because of their quality. We knew this tie would be hard, but we remained hopeful.

"We knew we needed to have the perfect match against them, and it did not happen."

Emery was also quick to dismiss suggestions his side sorely missed star striker Roberto Soldado, and expects every player to be able to play a role when called upon.

"We have a large squad and we cannot depend on one player," Emery added.

"Everyone should have worked harder, because we are always trying to improve. We seek a very high level but I trust my players, who took us to the semi-finals.

"Now we will focus on La Liga again and we are starting a new phase in the Europa League. We will need every player."

Valencia, currently third in La Liga, are next in action on Sunday when they entertain Sporting Gijon.