Valverde: "It's a weight off our shoulders"

Ernesto Valverde was delighted to see Athletic Club win again at San Mames, saying the victory would help the team "gain confidence and move forward".

The Lions beat Real Oviedo 1-0 in Bilbao on Sunday afternoon thanks to a brilliant Nico Williams goal in the 24th minute.

"It's a weight off our shoulders because victory was essential for us today," the gaffer said in his post-match press conference.

"The match was so important because of the poor run we were on. We needed to win again. It's an important turning point and we're much more relaxed now.

"Victories always help you to gain confidence and move forward."

It was not an easy match, according to the Zurigorri coach but he was pleased with how his players controlled the game at San Mames.

He said: "We managed to take the lead with a great goal from Nico. I think it was afterwards that we were at our worst.

"They scored that goal, which was disallowed for a millimetre offside. We should have scored a second to give ourselves more breathing space, but we couldn't convert our chances.

"Our press was good and we didn't let them advance too much. We forced them back and in the second half, with the substitutions, we controlled the game quite well. However, they were also able to get back into the game because they had more control of the aerial play."