Andoni Iraola refused to get carried away after Bournemouth fans were left dreaming of a potential Champions League adventure following a first league double over south-coast rivals Southampton.
Travelling Cherries fans chanted of playing in European football’s premier competition next season after their side soared to fifth spot in the Premier League table thanks to a deserved 3-1 success at St Mary’s.
Ryan Christie conjured a fine assist for Dango Ouattara’s 14th-minute opener and then quickly fired home a superb second before Marcus Tavernier sealed victory late on following a goal back from Kamaldeen Sulemana.
While his team climbed above Chelsea, on goal difference, and Newcastle to the cusp of the top four, Bournemouth boss Iraola is eager to manage expectations and not look too far ahead.
“I think we are far from there,” he said of reaching the Champions League.
“We need still a lot of points. A reality would be at the end of the season. Now, unfortunately for us, it’s not.
“We have to continue performing well. If we continue performing well we may have a chance when there are five, six games remaining and then we are fighting.
“Right now we are still in the process, there is still more than one third of the league to play. We are focusing in the next week and definitely not further than this.”
Midfielder Christie played a starring role in Bournemouth’s blistering start, curling into the bottom left corner from almost 25 yards after a delightful delivery allowed Ouattara to glance home.
Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale produced a fine fingertip save to deny Antoine Semenyo at the end of a mazy run and then clawed Christie’s header off the line from the resultant corner as the Cherries sought to capitalise on their dominance.
Southampton forward Sulemana briefly created some jeopardy by halving the deficit 18 minutes from time, prior to substitute Tavernier thumping home to eventually put the result beyond doubt.
“I’m happy for the win and for the performance,” said Iraola.
“I don’t care if it’s because of the goal average we are fifth or sixth or seventh; right now we have 43 points, it’s a good amount for this moment of the season.
“But I’m more concerned about keeping this performance level as long as we can that will put us in a good position at the end.
“It’s a game (versus Southampton) that for sure supporters want to win and to have the moment at the end with them and everyone enjoying it I think is really positive.”
Bottom club Southampton slipped a step closer to relegation following their 20th defeat of a miserable campaign.
The hosts, who paid a heavy price for a dismal first-half display in which they failed to threaten, remain 10 points from safety, having now played a game more than 17th-placed Wolves.
Saints manager Ivan Juric said: “It was a really bad first half, it was not good enough to compete with them.
“It’s a situation that is really bad. Things didn’t go well before and things don’t go well now. Of course there are lots of problems and we try to fix it.
“We cannot say that they (the players) don’t have motivation. At 2-0, they are pushing, they want to score. For 30 minutes, they did a great second half until we conceded the third goal.
“They were like I want my team to be: aggressive, stealing the ball, attacking with lots of players, creating lots of chances. We have to try and play like this more times.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Inter Milan were eyeing a treble at the end of the season and then:🚫 Lost Coppa Italia to Milan in semifinals 🚫 Lost Serie A title to Napoli by one point🚫 Lost UCL final to PSG by five goalsDamn After 189 games, this Champions League season is over.And PSG finished on top Champions League ✅Ligue 1 ✅Coupe de France ✅PSG complete the treble A season worthy of t...
WHAT HAPPENED?PSG ended their long wait for Champions League glory in breathtaking fashion as they hammered Inter in a 5-0 masterclass, and 19-year-old Desire Doue was at the heart of it all. The French prodigy, starting in his first final, delivered a performance for the ages, writing his name into football history alongside some of the game's greats.Doue opened the floodgates with a stunning dis...
Manchester United are now plotting a summer move for Viktor Gyokeres after missing out on Liam Delap, who is now expected to join Chelsea. According to a report from Give Me Sport, Manchester United wanted to sign the 22-year-old striker from Ipswich Town, but the player has chosen to move to Chelsea instead. Manchester United are now dreaming of signing Gyokeres from Sporting CP. Arsenal are keen...
WHAT HAPPENED?U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged that pressure is rising for his squad, especially with the 2025 Gold Cup quickly approaching - and the 2026 World Cup on the horizon. Yet, the Argentine manager, who was hired in September 2024, said the team still needs to can lean on fans for support."We need the fans. And they need, for sure, they are going to suppo...
Chelsea enter race for Everton's BranthwaiteChelsea are reportedly evaluating a potential move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, as per Daily Mail.Branthwaite is attracting interest from multiple clubs, including Manchester United and Newcastle. However, Everton are standing firm on their valuation and are expected to demand no less than £70 million for the England international's serv...
A young Paris Saint-Germain side thrashed the more experienced Inter Milan in Saturday's UEFA Champions League final. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)MUNICH -- Paris Saint-Germain won their first Champions League title by humiliating Inter Milan with a rampant 5-0 victory on Saturday.PSG completed a league, cup and Champions League treble on a night when 19-year-old forward Désiré Dou...
Viktor Gyokeres is wanted by Arsenal and Man Utd this summer (Image: Getty)Italian champions Napoli are reportedly prepared to compete with Arsenal for the signature of Sporting Lisbon's £67million-rated striker Viktor Gyokeres. Manager Antonio Conte has instructed the club to pursue the 26-year-old former Brighton, Swansea and Coventry forward, who has emerged as one of Europe's top goalscor...
PSG thrashed Inter Milan (Image: Getty)Munich has hosted five Champions League finals, and each one has seen a team win the European Cup for the first time. This was a positive sign for PSG as they aimed to follow in the footsteps of Nottingham Forest, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea. And they didn't half make the most of it, thrashing Barcelona 5-0 - the highest score there has ever been...
Barcelona rush to beat Premier League sides to Joan Garcia dealBarcelona have reportedly stolen a march on Man City and Arsenal in the race to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia this summer.The 24-year-old has admitted he is open to leaving Espanyol this summer after a stellar La Liga campaign, earning the interest of clubs across the continent.Arsenal and Man City have been heavily linked with ...
PSG fans' Champions League celebrations were interrupted by a huge explosion (Image: X: @intelFromBrian)Paris Saint-Germain fans' Champions League celebrations were interrupted by a terrifying explosion on Saturday night. The French capital descended into a state of chaos after PSG thrashed Inter Milan in Munich to win European football's most prestigious trophy for the first time.Thousands of sup...
- 1 Gyokeres' words about joining Arsenal
- 2 Ronaldo appears to confirm Al-Nassr exit
- 3 Chloe Kelly stuns Arsenal fans as she heads straight to local PUB
- 4 Chelsea making progress over Caicedo deal
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 Arsenal boss Arteta's wife Lorena Bernal shares marriage secrets
- 7 Daily Laugh - GG bro / Sancho & Antony
- 8 AC Milan put eye-watering price-tag on Leao
- 9 Liverpool star Konate drops update on future
- 10 Man Utd ‘contact Bryan Mbeumo’ after £50m Brentford sale teased by Thomas Frank