Bournemouth 8 games unbeaten thanks to Brooks' late goal

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AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola reacts to a 1-0 victory over Everton extending to 8 games unbeaten thanks to Brooks' late winning goal  04/01/2025  Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK

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00:00Yes, I think we, as you said, we really deserve this one. I think we were controlling the

00:13game since the beginning. We knew that against Everton, it's difficult to score because

00:19they have a good keeper, good centre-backs. Even if you push them and they can feel a

00:25little bit of pressure, they are a good defensive team and we had the patience. Probably we

00:31should have scored earlier, but it didn't happen until the end. I think everyone watching

00:37the game was feeling that the goal was coming.

00:42Another sad scoring coming on and what a wonderful finish, beautiful finish.

00:47Yes, I think it has been a lovely goal. Everything, how we found the space for Milos, the crossing,

00:54the composure of Bruxy, the striking of the ball. I think everyone sees the ball and feels

00:58like he wanted to put the ball exactly where he puts it. He also had another very similar

01:05chance straight away and he almost scored another one. I'm happy for all, yes.

01:10Another club record, 8-9 or whatever it is.

01:15No, I don't play. The important part is the ones who are on the pitch and I'm happy because

01:24it's not easy to go on an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.

01:32It has cost us some injuries on the way, but the return also of the points is very valuable.

01:39Now we are playing four teams that are ahead of us in the top five. It's going to be more

01:47difficult to keep the run going, but at least we want to keep the performance level and give us

01:52chances against anyone.

01:56It was a bit of an arm-wrestle at times, slightly scrappy in that first half particularly,

02:02going in goalless. What was the sort of messaging at half-time to your team?

02:07I told the players that we were playing very well, very, very well. It's difficult because

02:12they were killing all the rhythm of the game, a lot of stops, and we wanted to play faster

02:19and a little more dynamic game. But even if the game was everything stop and go,

02:27I think we had very clear chances in the first half. We had the patience, we had the rivals,

02:32we haven't scored, but I think we should have scored. We had just to continue putting pressure

02:39on them, that it was a matter of them running out of legs and not arriving to every shuffle,

02:47to every support defensively, and we could make the difference at the end.

02:51You sort of said at the build-up that in this game particularly,

02:55clinical finishing was going to be the key at half-time. Obviously, you missed a few chances,

03:00and maybe you thought it wouldn't be one of those days, but that finish I guess is the definition

03:06of clinical from there.

03:07Yes, I think you can think it was a similar game to Palace, but I felt like today we were

03:14controlling the game more. We were putting more pressure than the day

03:17that we faced Palace, and I felt like the goal was coming. It's true that it hasn't arrived until

03:22the end, but you could see, especially in the second half, how it has started.

03:29I think we are going to score. I was feeling, OK,

03:33we are playing well. I've done probably the subs a little bit later than other games,

03:38because I was feeling like we are doing well. I think the goal is coming,

03:43but it has arrived later than we wanted, yes.

03:46Another clean sheet for your defensive unit, a very young defensive unit again.

03:51Just a word on them and their performance.

03:54Yes, probably today they haven't had any clear chance. One shot, I think, from Ducouret from

04:01the outside. That was a lovely volley, but I don't feel like we conceded a lot against Everton,

04:09but it's always nice to keep the clean sheets, because when you keep the clean sheets with the

04:13players we have up front, most of the times I think we are going to win the game.

04:20Could you just tell us a little bit about David Brooks and his role in the team, in the squad,

04:25because he's been there a long time, experienced a lot, doesn't get a lot of minutes for the team,

04:30but it's still clearly something you can trust.

04:33Yes, obviously, we trust a lot. Everyone in the club trusts David. I think in the last month he

04:41has started two games, he has come on from the bench all the other games, so he's playing more

04:46minutes lately, because especially we have the injuries of Taf, of Sini, in his positions,

04:53and like Dango did the other day, they are all one star, the other one scores. Everyone is fighting

04:59for minutes, and it's good for the team. It's difficult for them because they all want to play

05:06more minutes, and for me sometimes, especially in the wingers, we have five or six options that are

05:11very good. It's difficult for them, but as long as everyone is trying to take benefit of the minutes

05:18for the team, it's going to be good.

05:38Yes, I think we were controlling the game. Probably we were lacking this last moment of

05:46brilliance in the position box, and when you put two nines against two centre-backs,

05:51they can win their duels, but they cannot help in all the places. There is a danger that you

05:57can lose the middle, and they start keeping the ball more, but I felt confident that we were

06:03pushing them a lot. We were arriving from the outside, and with Evan and Enes, we could have

06:08a little bit more of a threat. Also, we've done this change before putting Philly, because

06:14I saw the other day against Fulham that it was not really working. We were starting to lose the

06:19middle. We had Philly always to put after this, but I think Enes especially, that is the one that

06:26I've said to help Italy more. Ryan and Tyler in that moment, I think he has done a very good job,

06:31and we could keep pushing them, I think, in the same way.

06:35Just how impressed were you with James Hill once again starting it right back

06:38on the other side of this paper?

06:40Yeah, he didn't have an easy game today, because De Aja is a very, very good player,

06:45very dangerous one against one, and I think he played very well. He defended him very well.

06:50I think we've decided to finish with Lu there, because offensively, Lu also

06:56gives us a very good crossing, very good things, and with Brooks, these overlaps,

07:02they could give us something else, but I think both games he has played really well.

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