The result you needed but could you have won that a bit more comfortably? Their goalkeeper had to make seven saves.
Yeah, he had a hell of a game. We probably should have won the game more comfortably. It was always going to be a tricky game for us because as much as you try and put it to one side, losing four games in a row, for the players there's always a bit of stress and anxiety. And Burnley really had to go for it today - they had nothing to lose, I mean obviously they had a lot to lose but with their approach. I thought in the first half we controlled the game really well - I just thought we were a bit anxious in the final third with our decision making.
But I thought Pedro's goal before half-time was really important. And the second half was better, and we were stronger after half-time - we always are. It's just that some recent games have got away from us. But today we were right in it. Pleasing for the players and credit to them for not getting too wound up and just playing our football.
The quality from Micky van de Ven for that winner, does that show he can play anywhere and do a job?
Yeah, no doubt, and that's the exciting thing for me. There are a lot of these players - it's Micky's first year in the Premier League, Vicario's, Destiny's (as well). Pape's first full season. There's so much growth in us and what we've been through this year both good and bad is great for us. And Micky's been through a lot with injury, and even then he's bounced back so well from that to maintain an elite level of performance so I couldn't be happier for him.
Does Micky give you another option at left-back?
Yeah, but at the same time I've been mindful with Micky that he's had a couple of injuries and the demands of playing left-back are a lot different to playing centre-back. I just have to be careful - what's more important is what we're trying to build here, and I was reluctant to put him out there for that reason alone. It's been quite a disrupted season and playing full-back as opposed to playing centre-back is a lot different from a physical perspective. But yeah I thought for the last bit of the game it made sense, Skippy was only ever going to be able to play for more than about 60 minutes, he hasn't played for ages. And Radu coming on I thought was very good when he came on as well, so it helped us get over the line and Micky's goal was outstanding.
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Richarlison's injury left you even shorter with options off the bench, did you feel you had to be creative with your substitutions?
Yeah, a little bit. It was unfortunate. I know I did the press conference yesterday, but it was literally the last kick of the game and I saw him hobble off and I assumed it was nothing serious. Then it didn't get any better later on in the evening and he was sent for a scan on his calf and I still don't know the results of that to be honest, but watching him today he was still hobbling about.
So that made it difficult for us. Like you said I had to get creative with the set-up, knowing that in the last half hour we would probably be dominant from a physical perspective because we have been pretty consistently. So having a set-up that at least gave us a chance to take advantage of the chances we had. Dane came on and worked really hard. I thought Rodri was really good when he came on as well. Radu did well so the subs made an impact.
You said you still retained hope of a top four spot and that must still be strong after this result?
We've still got six points to play for. That's the key thing for us. There's a big game for us on Tuesday night against City and it will be a great test for us and the Sheffield United one. We'll see where we can get to, playing our football and see what points we get and end up. Today was important for the supporters and for the players. When you lose four in a row, irrespective of the circumstances and the opposition, it can weigh on your mind. It can dent your confidence and belief. I thought they handled it well today and at least that gives us a platform to tackle these last two games.
It's a massive game on Tuesday night for both teams, do you think you've got what it takes to cause an upset?
I think we've got what it takes to make a game of it and play our football and see where that takes us. They're an outstanding team and they and Arsenal are the benchmark of the competition right now. They're 20-odd points ahead of us and we've got some ground to make up, but it's at our place, it's 95 minutes of football and we're going to have a crack.
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