Valverde: "We played for three points and we got them"

Ernesto Valverde was happy to see his players get back to winning ways as they defeated Levante UD 4-2 at San Mames on Sunday afternoon.

A Gorka Guruzeta brace put Athletic on track, while goals from Nico Serrano and Robert Navarro helped stave off a Levante fightback.

"We played to get the points, one way or another," Valverde said in his post-match press conference.

"We didn't concede too many chances, but our opponents took them well. I have a good feeling about the team.

"I would have liked to have finished the match better, with a more comfortable victory, but the important thing for us was to get the three points, and we did that."

Levante UD went down to ten men early on, but stood their ground and made life difficult for Athletic with two late goals.

Valverde said: "That's football. They never gave up, even when we were looking for the third goal after going 2-0 up.

"They scored two great goals, the kind that come out of nowhere, and the match became tight. I would have preferred it if they didn't score against us.

"There was an early sending off, they played with one man down for a long time and we took advantage of that. We scored the fourth goal and we're going away happy because we needed the three points."

The gaffer believes this win over Levante will give his Lions a lot of confidence ahead of the first leg of their Copa semi-final against Real Sociedad.

"Victories always help, they give you a boost and give you confidence," he said.

"On Wednesday we have an important match and an opportunity. It's a semi-final and we have to give it our all. We've been playing a lot of these kinds of matches recently. 

"There's always a sense of excitement about reaching a final, but both teams feel that way."