Ville Koski headed Alavés into an 18th-minute lead from a corner, but Yassir Zabiri levelled matters before the break and struck again early in the second half to complete his brace and seal a 2-1 win for Racing Santander, ending the Basque side's unbeaten start to the season.
Alavés finished the match with 10 men after Andre Almeida was sent off in the closing stages, though it was Racing who held on for the points, with defender Julen Mañas later stretchered off following a nasty aerial collision with Salinas.
José Alberto López was pleased with a complete team performance rather than focusing solely on his matchwinner.
"I think it was a very complete match on our part. A good win against a very compact opponent, as they had shown in previous rounds," José Alberto said.
"The team learns from its mistakes, we competed well today and read the game very well. I'm very happy to see them grow as a group."
Asked about Zabiri's decisive contribution, the Racing coach preferred to spread the credit across his squad.
"It seemed like a very good match from the whole team, and I'd like to acknowledge everyone who took part," he said. "Zabiri will be on cloud nine with everything that's happening to him, but he has to keep working, because I think he can still give us a lot more."
Quique Sánchez Flores felt fine margins had ultimately decided a closely contested match.
"It was a very even game in which the sum of small details ended up tipping the balance," Sánchez Flores said. "We know Racing's strength is at home. They are a team that stacks players on one side and launches balls in behind the defence. They took advantage of their style of play and found the goals in the way they do. The match ended with 16 shots for us and 11 against, so we competed well, but it didn't work out for us."
The Alavés coach explained his early second-half substitutions had been driven by concerns over accumulated yellow cards ahead of a game just three days later, and offered an update on Mañas following his injury.
"He suffered a very hard blow. During the match he had regained consciousness. It was a very tough knock, he went into it with the intensity he always does, but he is under control," Sánchez Flores said. "He has been taken to hospital and will stay there."