Real Madrid defender Pepe has claimed that his side "didn't deserve to lose" against Valencia on Sunday evening.

Los Blancos entered the La Liga match off the back of a 22-game winning run in all competitions.

However, second-half goals from Antonio Barragan and Nicolas Otamendi secured all the points for Los Che.

"We didn't deserve to lose. It's true that we didn't get off to a good start in the second half of the game but we had our chances," Pepe told Canal+.

"There's a lot left of the season and we're still very much in the fight. It would've been difficult to win everything until the end, we need to accept our errors and the loss.

"We're still La Liga leaders and we need to keep working hard. There's a lot left of La Liga and it's going to be difficult."

Real Madrid return to action against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.