Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton manager admits his triple-substitution ‘didn’t work’ during Newcastle defeat #SAINTSFC

May 1, 2023
The Spaniard opted to make three changes at once with his side level at 1-1 in the 70th minute of the Premier League clash at St James’ Park. He called for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Moi Elyounoussi and Adam Armstrong to replace Charly Alcaraz, Lyanco and goalscorer Stuart Armstrong. Newcastle took a two-goal lead through a Theo Walcott own goal and Callum Wilson’s second of the afternoon 10 minutes later – while number nine Armstrong touched the ball once, taking a restart. Asked about the change after the match, Selles told the Daily Echo: “The aim was to win the game, that is always the aim. “We knew that our boys up front had a hard task during the game and we needed to take them off because they ran out of energy. “We had a plan and thought that with refreshment in the front, we can continue finding spaces and continue with our game plan. “It didn’t work and we need to accept that, sometimes this happens in the game.” Reflecting on the contest, Selles said: “We were doing well, we had the plan to apply pressure when we can and keep the ball. “When you play against a top-four team it's more difficult to keep it. They became more aggressive and put Isak on the side, we were too late to react to it and we let it go "Sometimes it is difficult. In the first half, we knew what to do but in the second we didn’t find that connection and that is for all of us to work out. We need to be stronger in those moments."
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil admits relegation relief after Leeds win #AFCB

May 1, 2023
Having lost 4-0 at home to West Ham United last Sunday, Cherries went to Southampton on Thursday night, coming away 1-0 victors. Cherries’ head coach then held a press conference a few hours later, on Friday morning, to preview the visit of Leeds United. Following a comfortable 4-1 victory over the Whites, O’Neil revealed he had also spent Saturday night in hospital, with his six-year-old daughter Mila Bleu. Asked how he would be celebrating the win over Leeds, which he feels secures Cherries’ place in the Premier League next season on 39 points from 34 matches, O’Neil said: “I was in A&E last night with my youngest daughter. “She had an accident, nothing too serious. So I’ll get home, see how she is. “I’ll probably just spend the evening in the lounge. Maybe a beer, maybe a tea and some chocolate. There’s some Easter eggs left. I’m just going to enjoy it with them. “I just want to spend some time with the people that have supported me. “They’ve seen some dark evenings in the O’Neil house! Let’s enjoy this one with them.” Asked how he feels himself about the job he has done as boss at Cherries, O’Neil said: “The main thing is relief first. “Even when you’re on 36 points and Leeds are coming and Leicester and Everton play each other tomorrow, you still think because of our goal difference, we don’t want to go to Everton three points in front on the last day. It could still have easily gone the other way. “So today is relief that we put in a big performance and we achieve what I think will be Premier League safety. “I’m just going to enjoy this evening with the family. There’s been a lot of late ones this week – a few 11 o’clockers in there. I haven’t seen much of them. “So looking forward to this evening, celebrating with them and looking forward to getting onto Chelsea.”
Dominic Solanke Bournemouth
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke speaks after Leeds win #AFCB

May 1, 2023
Cherries’ comfortable 4-1 win over Leeds United moved them to the brink of safety, with a 10-point cushion above the relegation spots with four games remaining. Solanke played a part in Cherries’ opener, teeing up Phil Billing for the initial shot that led to Jefferson Lerma curling home. The Colombian doubled the lead four minutes later, before Patrick Bamford pulled one back before the end of the first half. Talismanic striker Solanke restored the two-goal margin shortly after the hour mark, before watching on from the bench as Antoine Semenyo added further gloss with a fourth. “We knew it was going to be a huge game for us,” Solanke told the Daily Echo: “After coming off the last win, we wanted to make sure that we followed up with another win. “And to get back-to-back wins at this point in this stage of the season, just shows the position we’re in.” Promoted as Championship runners-up last term, many had expected Cherries to finish in the bottom three. Whilst not yet mathematically confirmed, it would take some effort from sides below them to overhaul their current position of 13th. “I think a lot of people, especially at the start of season, didn't really give us a chance,” Solanke continued. “But we always believed and we know the quality that we have in the squad. So for us to do what we've done, just shows our quality.” Solanke’s goal was well taken, the forward ghosting into the area before being forced out wide. Unfazed by the acute angle, he steered his effort towards the far corner, the ball bouncing off the inside of the post. “I went for that corner,” explained the 26-year-old. “Obviously not the post, but knew it was quite a tight angle. “But yeah, I wanted to slide it in and, it was a good finish.”  
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton manager accepts some things are not right at club but players want to give a fight #SAINTSFC

April 30, 2023
The St Mary’s side faces potential relegation from the Premier League for the first time since promotion to the top flight in 2012. They are six points adrift of safety after the recent home defeat to AFC Bournemouth and are facing a major playing overhaul in the summer. However, Sport Republic and the incoming director of football, Jason Wilcox, already have their hands full with appointments needed for outgoing directors. Head of recruitment Joe Shields, managing director Toby Steele (already replaced) and academy manager Matt Hale are all among those who have left or are leaving this season. However, Selles was not keen to suggest the turmoil could be linked to on-pitch performance. Speaking on Thursday night, he said: “No, of course. “When you are in a club in our situation, you have some issues and the daily routines but it's nothing that we can extrapolate into the pitch. “I think we are where we are and then we need to fight to show that we are good enough to compete in this league and then we can beat anybody so it's not any issues outside that are making the difference or disturbing us.” The Spaniard added: “Well, that's the problem that we didn't find any consistency in any of the moments and in the beginning with the team we thought we can make it. “We were considering what we do. I think we have had some good performances. “But in the last week, we combined some of the good moments with the bad moments so that lack of consistency is in that situation and we are trying to find it back and that we are trying to make it better. “And that's one of the things that we need to look at it and then say we need to do it better and then we need to be more robust in the things that we do.”
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcus Tavernier reveals family support for premier league clubs and goal celebration during Southampton win #AFCB

April 30, 2023
Tavernier is hoping to shake off a hamstring complaint to feature at Vitality Stadium tomorrow afternoon, having netted the winning goal at Southampton on Thursday night. Born in Leeds, Tavernier spent much of his early life growing up in the north east, but most of his family remain staunch Leeds United supporters. The Whites head to the south coast today, with both sides scrapping for the points they need to ensure Premier League safety. After netting at St Mary’s, Tavernier ran towards the away fans, flapping his arms like a bird. Asked what was behind the celebration, the 24-year-old told the Daily Echo: “My uncle is down and before the game I like to have turkey sandwiches which my auntie makes. “I had one before the game. And they said ‘if you score today, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll do that celebration’. “I always keep my promises and that’s what I did! It went to the turkey sandwiches!” Asked if he will now be eating them before every game, Tavernier said: “It might have to be! “I might have to get my uncle down a bit more often so he can make me those turkey sandwiches.” Tavernier found the net for Cherries against Leeds earlier in the season, in a 4-3 defeat at Elland Road. Discussing his Yorkshire background, the winger explained: “Pretty much my whole family are Leeds fans. “So obviously it’s a big game in the household, but they’re all cheering me on. “My brother and my family are looking at the Leeds results and they’re not wanting them to win at the moment, because they’re supporting me!” He added: “I grew up in Newcastle. But all of a sudden I became an Arsenal fan, that’s Thierry Henry for you! “So I’m a bit of a loose one in the family for supporting teams. “But everyone in the family is a Leeds fan, so I’m going to keep them quiet this weekend hopefully!” Cherries moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with victory over Saints. With just five games to play, Gary O’Neil’s men are on the brink of securing a second consecutive season in the top flight. Reflecting on the win at St Mary’s, Tavernier said: “The manager said before the game we have to make sure we come here and come out with what we want. That’s exactly what we did. “We played the football we wanted and it showed in the performance again. “Everyone can be happy right now, but it’s not over yet, which we know. We have to go into Leeds fully focused and put on the same performance. “If we’re being critical, we could’ve put more chances away and made it easier. But the end result is we got what we wanted and that’s the main thing. “It’s a derby game and I’ve played in a few in my career. There’s no better feeling than to get a win over your rivals. “They played us at our patch and we got beat. I remember seeing the celebrations after from their fans and it hurts, because you know you’re leaving your fans a bit deflated. “But I’m sure they’re going to be happy with that performance.” Put to him that one more point against Leeds this weekend could well be enough to keep Cherries up, Tavernier said: “We’re not thinking like that. We’re taking it each game at a time. “We want to finish the season strong and get as many points as we possibly can. “That starts against Leeds. We have no intention of getting one point. “We go in there fully wanting three, and the following games after that, we keep the same mentality.” Asked if he will have many relatives at the game to watch him this weekend, Tavernier said: “No, unfortunately not. “I’ve got my uncle there again, so maybe some more turkey sandwiches before the game! “They’ll be supporting me to full effect and that’s all I can ask for.”
chris mepham Bournemouth
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Chris Mepham says win at Saints was for Cherries ‘fans who have stuck with us’ #AFCB

April 30, 2023
Historically, Cherries have a wretched record away to their south coast rivals. This week’s win marked just a second time Cherries have won away at Saints, the first coming on their last trip their in September 2019. Since that day, Saints had racked up three successive wins over Cherries, all at Vitality Stadium, the hosts failing to find the net. Mepham has now visited St Mary’s three times since joining Cherries from Brentford four years ago. He started, only to be withdrawn early on during a 3-3 draw there in April 2019, before remaining as an unused substitute for the 3-1 win in September that year. The centre-back played a key role in the 1-0 win on Thursday night, which came four years to the day since he was hooked at the same stadium. Defeat left Saints rooted to the foot of the table, six points from safety. 🍒 Celebrations in full swing #afcb pic.twitter.com/cyuSQwsonz — Tom Crocker (@TomCrockerEcho) April 27, 2023 Discussing this week’s win and being part of some good days for Cherries at St Mary’s, Mepham told the Daily Echo: “I remember getting dragged after 30 minutes away from home, so other than that day! “For the fans, there’s always a little bit more on this game. “For us as players, we approach it the same as any other game, but in the background we know there is obviously that local rivalry, so I think it was important to get the win for the fans that obviously have stuck with us all this season.” While Marcus Tavernier’s goal was all that separated the sides, Cherries were the better side for the majority of the contest on Thursday. However, having failed to put the game to bed, they had a nervy wait at the death when substitute Che Adams slammed home, only for the strike to eventually be ruled offside. “I think that’s the thing we need to get better at,” Mepham explained. “For all our dominance in the first half and the way we controlled the first half, we probably didn’t create enough clear-cut opportunities. “We seemed to arrive in the final third a lot, but then it was a case of second half, just finding a moment out of something to go and get us a goal. “Then it was down to us to see how well we can hang on. “Obviously other than that moment where Che Adams scores, I thought we limited them to very few chances. It probably felt like it was more pressure than they probably put us under.” Cherries return to action against Leeds United at Vitality Stadium tomorrow (2pm).
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes 36 points may not be enough to avoid relegation as Bournemouth move further clear after Southampton win #AFCB

April 29, 2023
Cherries moved up to that mark with a 1-0 win at Southampton on Thursday night, a fifth win in eight matches, which has seen them leap from bottom of the Premier League up to 14th. With five games to go, Cherries are seven points clear of the relegation zone. But boss O’Neil is not convinced the job is yet done, urging his side to be ready to “turn up right from the start” when they host relegation-threatened Leeds United on Sunday (2pm). Put to him that finishing higher up the table would earn the club more prize money at the end of the year, O’Neil said: “At this moment, it’s not about each place, it’s still about avoiding the bottom three for me. “I still believe 36 points could be relegated. “I think maybe the world felt when we left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (after winning 3-2 on April 15) that we were fine. “And then you get a performance against West Ham (4-0 loss) where we let ourselves down. “I think that’s a real good lesson for the boys around achieving a good result that everyone thinks means that you’re okay and you’re good and everything’s rosy and then you get a real kick up the backside a few days later. “We learnt that lesson last week and hopefully that prepares us for what will be a tough ask against Leeds, to go off the back of such a huge effort on Thursday night, two days’ less recovery (than Leeds) against a very intense team will be a big test for the boys come Sunday.” He added: “I felt everyone in the world felt more comfortable after Tottenham and you see what can happen, you lose a game 4-0 to West Ham. “Nottingham Forest beat Brighton and all of a sudden it’s lose at Southampton and we’re right back in it. Things can change very quickly. We’ve been on a good run, so other teams definitely can as well. “I still think 36 points can be relegated, so a real clear focus from me. Thursday night is done. “We enjoyed the fact that we managed to execute a gameplan against a team that could’ve been dangerous on the evening, fantastic that the fans got to enjoy another away victory, but nothing done yet. We need three points on Sunday.” Discussing the challenge posed by Leeds, O’Neil added: “For us, it’s just making sure we start the game well, because we have conceded some early goals recently. “And we were out of our last home game before it started. So making sure that we’re ready. “There needs to be a lot of work done in a short space of time to make sure that we turn up right from the start of Leeds. “We don’t have time to ease ourselves into this one. They play in an intense way. “They’ll have seen the start against West Ham I’m sure and they’ll be keen to come and impose themselves in front of our crowd, to try and make it an awkward afternoon for us. “Real focus from me on trying to get the boys ready to start off all guns blazing at two o’clock on Sunday.” Asked if his team selection will be influenced by having got some vital points on the board on Thursday, O’Neil said: “I don’t think so. I don’t feel any more comfortable at all. “I still feel like at this moment in time we could be relegated, so let’s approach the game exactly in that way, try and get the best team out there for energy, also for quality. “There will be no rotation that wouldn’t have taken place in any other scenario. It will be business as usual from team selection wise.”
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton’s Ruben Selles insists he remains positive about survival chance #SAINTSFC

April 29, 2023
The St Mary’s side are beginning to get cut adrift after the latest 1-0 defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth, courtesy of Marcus Tavernier’s winner. It means Saints remain six points adrift of safety with five games to go – including Newcastle United, Brighton and Liverpool still to play. The Cherries – promoted from the Championship last campaign and heavy favourites for the drop – have raced to 12 points clear of Saints. After three managers and 14 signings to the first-team squad, an 11-year stay in the top-flight looks to be coming to an end at SO. Selles is not ready to admit that, saying: “Of course, the disappointment is there – but I always keep my positivity as I see them working every day and see what they can do. “I will keep my positivity until the very end, I still think we can do it and I still think everybody in the club is able to do it. We need to keep that belief. “It will be very early in the morning that I start to work on the things we need, analysing video etcetera.” Ahead of facing Newcastle for a fourth time this season – the previous three were all losses – Selles added: “I think we have been talking about must-wins for the last five or six games. "Of course, it is one we must win – more now than ever – but we are trying to go for it. “In the last game (at St James’ Park in the League Cup semi-final), we started a little bit slow and conceded two quick goals to put us out of the game. “We cannot make those mistakes again as it is very difficult to make a comeback if you are down in the Premier League. “We have to be brave from the very beginning, we have shown that we can cause damage in certain situations. We need to go for it.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi wanted Brighton fans to be 12th man against Wolves #BHAFC

April 29, 2023
The Seagulls take on Wolves tomorrow in their first home game for four weeks. De Zerbi said he was proud of his side in defeat as they lost at Nottingham Forest in midweek, three days after penalty trauma at Wembley. He added: “We are looking forward to play in our stadium to receive the fans’ support. READ MORE: DE ZERBI RESPONDS TO JOAO PEDRO REPORTS “The players need the passion of our fans and I would like to play with 12 players tomorrow, eleven on the pitch and one in the stand.” Albion have played their last four Premier League games away, in which they lost twice. After the FA Cup and Nottingham loss, they look to redeem themselves in order to tackle the last spell of the season. De Zerbi said: “We should have forgotten the Wembley match but I think we took the disappointment to Nottingham. “We will improve by playing this level of games more often. I´m not talking about quality of players, I´m talking about mentality.” “I loved my players more in Nottingham and more in Wembley than at Stamford Bridge (where Albion beat Chelsea). “Our fans should be proud of Nottingham – we gave everything.”
chris mepham Bournemouth
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Chris Mepham thinks win over Leeds could get Bournemouth over the line #AFCB

April 29, 2023
A Marcus Tavernier goal earned Cherries a 1-0 victory at Southampton on Thursday night, a result which moved Gary O’Neil’s men seven points clear of the relegation zone with just five games to play. Many pundits believe the 36 points Cherries have already amassed will be enough to avoid the drop, with O’Neil’s charges now sitting 14th in the table. But the head coach and squad and eyeing victory over another side battling to avoid the drop in Leeds at Vitality Stadium this weekend, to all but rubber-stamp a second consecutive top-flight campaign for Cherries. Discussing the win over Saints being a huge step in Cherries achieving their goal, Mepham told the Daily Echo: “That’s exactly what the manager said at the end of the game. “We are so close now. Credit to us, we’ve put ourselves in an unbelievable position. I think that’s our third away win in a row now. “We’ve done our bit. We just need to keep pressing, get us over the line on Sunday hopefully. “I think the last thing we would want now is complacency. There are still lots of points up for grabs. “We want to finish as high as possible and the relegation fight isn’t done yet. We go into Sunday wanting to win and hopefully we can get over the line then.” He added: “It’s not done yet. Until it’s mathematically impossible for us to go down, we will still be fighting for every point. “Sunday is no different. We will approach it like we do every game, which is wanting to win and hopefully we can get a result on Sunday.” Reflecting on the victory at St Mary’s, Mepham said: “Massive win. Especially the way the drama was at the end (Che Adams disallowed goal). Obviously panic stations at the end when you think you’ve lost two points. “I think we thoroughly deserved the points. First half, complete control. Second half, I think they were always going to come out and put a lot more pressure on us and play higher up the pitch. “Sometimes you need a bit of luck, like we got at the end and I felt like we deserved that with the way we applied ourselves in the first half.” Asked how impressive the win was given Cherries had just suffered a 4-0 home defeat to West Ham United a few days earlier, Mepham said: “To be honest, Sunday felt like a bit of an anomaly for us. “I think the way we’ve performed the last couple of months, that performance on Sunday was very unlike us. “We knew we had so much more to offer. Then again (on Thursday) it was a case of bounce back and I thought we did that really well. We started the game well. “I think the first 10 minutes they came out quite quick, but once we settled into the game, we had control and it’s a perfect response.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil to ‘seek clarity’ on penalty controversy at St Mary’s against Bournemouth #SaintsFC

April 29, 2023
With his side 1-0 up against Southampton, Ryan Christie flashed in a right-footed cross, which struck the outstretched arm of Saints defender Jan Bednarek, from close range. After a brief check from video assistant Andy Madley, the referee in the ground Darren England was not recommended to check the incident and play resumed. Cherries went on to win 1-0, but O’Neil admits he was left baffled by the decision not to award his side a spot-kick. Asked why no penalty was awarded, O’Neil said: “No idea. I don’t see any difference between that and some of the ones we’ve had given against us this year. “His arm is a long way from his body. The ball is going into a dangerous area. I can’t see why. “To have it dismissed so quickly – I remember sitting in our dugout when they go against us for ages waiting, they’re watching eight different camera angles and it’s being played in slow motion. “This one we get maybe an eight-second check and we’re told it’s clear. And then I see the replay and I cannot believe that has not been given as a penalty.” He added: “I was shown the handball quite a lot after the game and I was very surprised. “Not that I think that should be handball, just that it seems so similar to so many we’ve had go against us that I am just struggling to understand it a little bit. “I will seek some clarity on that as well, this week or next week, whenever the guys are available to catch up, try and figure out the differences and also why the check seemed so short on it. “There’s a few things that I need clearing up on that.”
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Ruben Selles admits loss to Bournemouth was a ‘hard night’ for Saints #SAINTSFC

April 29, 2023
Marcus Tavernier’s second-half winner at St Mary’s left the the division’s bottom club six points from safety with five games to go. Beleaguered Saints thought they had snatched a dramatic draw but Che Adams’ 89th-minute effort was disallowed for offside following VAR intervention. A painful defeat to their south-coast rivals inflicted a club-record 11th home league loss of the season on Southampton, with lingering hopes of survival fading fast. “We are going to go and try to put a performance in every game to try to win, and we are going to do it until the very end,” said Selles. “I know it’s only five games to play. But we are professionals and we will fight until the very last point. “I know now it’s hard, I know the table is looking like it’s a difficult one but we are going to give it a try.” He added: "It was a disappointing night. "We came with the intention to put in a good performance and we obviously didn’t. “Some of the things that can go against us, they went against us. “Even the offside goal, it’s a couple of centimetres but it is offside. It was a hard night.”
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton manager Ruben Selles says they will keep trying to get out of relegation #SAINTSFC

April 28, 2023
Che Adams had a late leveller ruled out for offside but Marcus Tavernier’s deflected strike was enough for the Cherries to pick up a deserved three points. It means the St Mary’s side remain six points adrift of safety with five games to play, including Newcastle United, Brighton and Liverpool. Relegation now seems an almost certainty but Selles has insisted his team will not lie down and accept their fate in the run-in. Speaking after the match, he said: “We just need to keep fighting and trying to perform every game and trying to give a win. “We’ve shown that we can perform against any team, we just need to be more constant and more robust in the things that we do. “When we play against Arsenal or Manchester United it was working but with the performance today, it was not working.” Selles added: “There is a habit we need to create and consistency we didn’t find, especially after the last international break we lost Che and were not able to make the result against West Ham – everything went a little bit to the other side. “Sometimes we are getting it but others we are not, today everything went against us – but that is not an excuse. We had the (Romain) Perraud injury, (James) Ward-Prowse illness and offside at the end. We know where we are but need to find consistency.” Under Selles, Saints have been beaten by Leeds United, Brentford, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and now Bournemouth. It has been a season-long problem that the side perform against the ‘bigger’ clubs – beating Chelsea twice and taking points from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – but bottle the games that really matter. Asked to explain this phenomenon, Selles told the Daily Echo: “Sometimes it is about the level of pressure on the matches, sometimes it is about the type of football the other team is playing and sometimes it is about ourselves not being on point. “Those are the facts we are trying to change to be more competitive.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi proud of young players in Brighton squad #BHAFC

April 28, 2023
The Seagulls went down 3-1 at the City Ground after going ahead through a Facundo Buonanotte strike. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi said: "We have a lot of very good young players, [Facundo] Buonanotte and [Julio] Enciso. “But young players need to play and make mistakes and you have to give them the time to progress and improve. “I am disappointed but I am not frustrated because I know the situation. “I know we are Brighton, we can't forget we are Brighton - when we win or lose and especially when we lose. "We have to be proud of our results this season and we have to be focused on the last eight games. “We can fight to achieve our target. “We deserve to fight to reach our target but the situation is tough because we are not used to playing so many games in a row. "Yesterday (Tuesday), I said this game was the most important game of the season. “I’’m 44 years old. I knew yesterday and I knew on Sunday evening I knew the game today was very, very, very tough. “It was very tough for the energy but for the head too.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil reacts to win over Southampton #AFCB

April 28, 2023
Cherries took the lead early on through the first-half from a deflected Marcus Tavernier strike, the effort enough to separate the two sides at the final whistle 1-0. Che Adams thought he had rescued a precious point for the division’s bottom outfit late on, only for the equaliser to be chalked off by VAR for offside. Whilst overall he was pleased with his side’s performance, O’Neil did reiterate that his side need to be more clinical to finish contests off sooner. He began: “Big win for us. Performance was pleasing as well. “Sort of had everything we asked, apart from being clinical enough to put the game to bed. “Because I thought we were by far the better side today. “We spoke a lot this afternoon about showing a calmness in what would be probably a frantic football match, where obviously the other side are in a tough situation and there may be some desperation attached. “So, firstly, can we show a calmness in what is a big pressure situation? And then beneath that, can we show a real grit and steel, and a refusal to leave here without what we came for? “And I thought the performance showed both. “Credit to the players, I thought they were excellent.” Cherries recorded 16 shots and enjoyed consistent spells with the ball, but were unable to truly test Alex McCarthy beyond Tavernier’s winner. “Away from home, I thought it was impressive with the ball,” continued O’Neil. “I thought we played through our shape, lovely. “The things that we thought would be on were on. “It's been a bit of a story recently where we haven't quite been clinical enough, so I think back to Brighton at home where we missed some big chances. “So, yeah, it was a good performance, but the good news is that there is still room for improvement. Definitely.”