By Andrew Cawthorne
BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola acknowledged his players were far from their best at Aston Villa on Saturday, but praised their defensive resilience and character in finding a last-second equaliser for a 1-1 away draw in the Premier League.
“I’m very happy. Very difficult place, very difficult game. We didn’t play well today, they played better than us,” Iraola said, after Evanilson’s header rescued a point against a team on superb form in both the domestic league and Europe.
“I think we played much better against Arsenal,” he said of Bournemouth’s 2-0 win against the Londoners last weekend.
“Today we’ve competed well but we haven’t played well … these are the kinds of games where you have to show character. It’s very difficult to come here and get a point.”
Along with substitute Evanilson, whose glancing header was the last action of the game, goalkeeper Mark Travers shared the honours for Bournemouth after a string of terrific saves as he stood in for the injured Kepa Arrizabalaga.
“He made very good saves and kept us in the game when we were suffering. The defenders too. Everyone has stepped up and we finished much better,” Iraola said.
“The subs gave us another energy and at the end we got a draw … (I’m) happy when you get one point at the end in the last minute, after fighting and being under pressure.
“We are scoring in a lot of games in the last 15 to 20 minutes. We need this energy at the end … We are competing well and showing some character. It is a valuable point.”
Bournemouth are 10th on 12 points with Villa third on 18.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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