A poor first-half performance was compounded by Andreas Pereira’s 16th minute opener, but changes at the break sparked Cherries to life, substitute Marcus Tavernier levelling five minutes before the restart.
Dominic Solanke bundled home the winner 11 minutes from the final whistle, allowing Cherries to claim their seventh win of the campaign.
Speaking after the game,
Gary O’Neil began: “There was a lot of work that went in today and it didn’t look like it for the first 25-30 minutes. I spoke to the group before the game around the belief that I have in them. And that I feel that energy now in the dressing room that even if went 1-0 down today, there would be a refusal to lose the football match. We’re so determined to get to where we need to get to that I felt we would find a way to do it. And that was tested today.”
O’Neil then went on to detail how he thought his side deserved to win the fixture,
Gary O Neil explained: “It just felt, especially the way the goal came off the training ground, the second one, the way the boys played through the structure, I just felt it was what they deserved. I didn’t want us to not get what we deserved today, because I would’ve been answering a very different set of questions I’m sure. The lads believe already, but for me to have spoken to them today about it being a real test and that we will definitely find a way to get over the line today, I can feel it in the room, the quality we have and the belief we have. Even if you suffer and you go 1-0 down, I know full well that this group finds a way to come back today. For the lads to show the quality and the endeavour and to get what they deserved I thought was big.”
Asked about his celebrations following Solanke’s winner,
Gary O’Neil replied: “Because we kept missing chances and it was bouncing around the goal. I don’t celebrate goals very often, but that one felt like a ‘celebratable’ moment. I don’t know if ‘celebratable’ is a word, but if it is, it was a ‘celebratable’ moment!”
