United started on the front foot, probing around the edge of the visitors’ box inside the first ten minutes but they could not find the final pass.
Gonçalo Guedes came close to snatching the lead for the Spanish side in the 14th minute after he was sent through inside the box but the Red Devils shot-stopper David De Gea made a good save.
Jose Mourinho’s troops were combining well going forward after half-an-hour but they could not turn the Valencia defence.
Daniel Pajero had a chance for the Spanish outfit five minutes before time with a strike from the edge of the box but his effort sailed narrowly wide.
The pace of the match fizzled out in the closing minutes of the half and the first stanza ended goalless as a result.
Paul Pogba had an opportunity to find the breakthrough for the Red Devils ten minutes after the break, but his left-footed volley was crucially blocked by the covering Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista.
Pogba had another chance in the 61st minute for United with a free-kick from just outside the box that was well struck and dipping, but the visitors goalkeeper Neto tipped his effort over the bar.
Romelu Lukaku almost broke the deadlock for Mourinho’s charges 20 minutes before time after working his way through on the right side of the box cutting inside but his curling effort into the bottom corner was parried away by Neto.
The three points were up for grabs in the last ten minutes as the two sides were looking to steal it towards the end.
Lukaku almost snatched all the three points for United two minutes before time with a header inside the box but he could not generate enough power to beat Valencia shot-stopper Neto, as the two sides settled for a point.