Valverde: "These matches are big confidence boosters"

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde once again praised the Lions' spirit after Unai Goméz's last-gasp diving header saw the Lions beat Las Palmas 1-0 in Bilbao on Wednesday night.

The Zurigorri head into the break in fifth place, equal on points with Atletico Madrid in fourth who also have a game in hand.

"These matches are big confidence boosters," Valverde said in his post-match press conference. "Just as how last year in some games we lost points in the final minutes, this year we're getting them thanks to our determination."

"It was a very difficult game because Las Palmas were well organised and they forced us to press very hard.

"Even so, in the first half we had chances to take the lead. You could also see that they were very dangerous when they beat our press and they showed they're a great team.

"In the second half we subdued them a bit more. Their goalkeeper was outstanding but we managed to win in the last minute. We're very pleased."

Athletic have only lost once at home this season, the opening match against Real Madrid. From nine fixtures at San Mames so far in 2023/24, Los Leones have won seven, drawn two and lost one.

Valverde said: "At San Mames, even if the game isn't going our way, we always have that energy to keep pushing. We never fall back. We chase the goal and keep going for it."