Valverde: "We have got a weight off our shoulders because, for us, victory was essential"

Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde spoke to the media after the Lions' comforting 1-0 victory over Real Oviedo at San Mames:

"The truth is that we've got a weight off our shoulders because victory was essential for us today.

"The match was much more than important because of the streak we were on and because we needed to win again.

"It has been an important turning point because we are much more relaxed now.

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

In the opinion of the Zurigorri coach, the match was not easy:

"We managed to take the lead with a great goal from Nico, and I think that's when we played our worst.

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

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