Leicester boss Steve Cooper wants his side to be obsessed with beating Southampton after first league victory (Joe Giddens/PA) (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Leicester’s manager Steve Cooper has expressed a strong desire for consistency from his squad, urging them to become “obsessed” with building upon their initial Premier League victory following the international hiatus.
Facundo Buonanotte delivered a stellar performance, securing Leicester’s lone goal against Bournemouth in the 16th minute, weaving through defenders before rocketing the ball beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga’s reach.
A contentious moment came when Illia Zabarnyi’s alleged handball in the box was ignored by referee Darren Bond, leaving Leicester grappling to maintain their lead as Bournemouth intensified their attack after the interval.
Evanilson thought he had levelled for the Cherries after nodding in Lewis Cook’s set-piece. However, delayed offside rulings dampened the visitors’ jubilation, allowing Leicester to cling on to their slender lead.
Cooper, visibly relieved with the pre-break triumph, shared: “I feel happy for the players, equally as happy for the supporters and staff, it was always going to be important to get the first win back in the Premier League.”
He conceded, “I’ve seen many win here, I would have loved for it to be sooner, we know that. We could have done some things better but we’ve also been unlucky, so I’m just glad everything went well.”
Acknowledging the victory, Cooper nonetheless emphasised the need for ongoing effort, stating, “It’s great to win but we have a lot of work to do to be a force.”
As the league pauses for international engagements, Cooper has his sights firmly set on the next fixture, proclaiming: “It’s international break and the work continues and now we need to be completely obsessed with beating Southampton in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Teenage Argentinian sensation Facundo Buonanotte, 19, shone brightly once more, continuing his promising start at Leicester.
Steve Cooper, having witnessed his player notch his second goal of the season, was all applause for his match-winner, articulating: “He’s a really talented young guy, really good attitude to the game. I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of players of his age of a similar talent.”
Further elaborating on his abilities, Cooper added, “He’s aggressive, a risk-taker with the ball and for a creative player he really puts in a defensive effort as well. We’re enjoying working with him, his shots, his pass for (Jamie) Vardy’s chance.”
He concluded: “He’s a player that can make the difference.”
On the flip side, Bournemouth were gunning for two triumphs in a row but couldn’t repeat their slam-bang effort from Monday against Southampton when facing another team thats had a dodgy kick-off to the campaign.
Andoni Iraola rued his squad’s squandered opportunities after they fired off 17 shots to Leicester’s six. The head coach reflected on missed chances saying, “It’s a difficult one because we can look at the start, the chances, the corners we’ve had. We feel like it’s probably not fair but at the end they took their chance and we didn’t.”
Iraola lamented: “We hit the post, the bar, a great save from the goalkeeper from Ryan Christie and we had more than enough chances to score.”
He further emphasised the regret of not capitalising on their dominance, “We are not punishing the opposition when we are playing better and when you are not taking your chances you can lose these type of games.”
To conclude, Iraola credited Buonanotte but conceded his frustration at the game’s outcome, admitting, “I think we give credit to Buonanotte but apart from that we haven’t conceded any other chances.”
“On the other side we have had many more and we have to improve, especially the finishing side because it’s what makes the difference and gives you the points.”
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