Valverde: "Winning the derby is always satisfying"

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde was a happy man after the Zurigorri's 2-1 Basque Derby win over Real Sociedad in Bilbao on Saturday evening.

Two first-half goals from Alex Berenguer helped the Lions pick up a fourth consecutive win as they moved up into third place in LaLiga EA Sports.

"When you win the derby it's always satisfying," Valverde said at his post-match press conference.

"We have a rivalry that drives us and we are all happy. Nothing is definitive, but we have taken another step towards what we want at the end of the season. We're in a good moment and we're trying to take advantage of our current confidence."

Valverde praised his players' work ethic in what he described as a "hard-fought match".

He said: "It was a scrappy game in which it was difficult to pass the ball in the middle of the pitch.

"When we tried to get going, they pressed very high and we were doing the same to them. We had to work hard in the duels and that was the key.

"When we won the ball, we could run and create dangerous situations. Any detail could have decided the game and it went our way."