Cooper praises Cherries' work rate in Arsenal defeat

The Cherries were beaten by an impressive Gunners side, but Cooper felt that his side deserved credit for the way they continued to fight throughout.

Speaking after the game, he told afcb.co.uk: “I’m disappointed for the lads. I couldn’t fault their work ethic tonight, our plan was to press them and we had some joy but things didn’t quite fall for us and we conceded two poor goals to go behind.

“At that point, you’re chasing the game against a very good side so you have to go after the ball even more and there’s a risk you may get picked off and at times we did tonight.

“I thought some of Arsenal’s play was excellent and you can’t deny the quality of individual in their team, they’re a really fluid team.

“But even at 4-0 down, our boys kept chasing and chasing to try and get a goal, they showed real endeavour and character, and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”

The Cherries battled through the game, going close through Ben Winterburn and Jake Scrimshaw in the second half but couldn't find the killer touch in-front of goal.

Cooper acknowledges: “We kept going. I think psychologically we kept going, even during the game they were trying to find different solutions to the problems we were facing.

“Tactically and positionally, there’s a lot of things we didn’t do right and there was a lot of messy moments where Arsenal came out on top when the ball was loose.

“Nonetheless, our mentality was the biggest thing to take away from tonight’s game and they deserve credit.”

The next Premier League Cup game comes against Southampton on January 27th, the first of a double header against our south coast rivals and Cooper knows that the Cherries have to take something from the games in order to qualify.

“They’re now must wins for us to have any chance of getting out of the group but they know what’s at stake and they know what’s required so as long as the attitude and application is at the level it was tonight, you never know.

“There’s still a slim chance and as you saw tonight, the boys won’t give up.”

Away from the development squad, the academy had another proud moment as Jordan Zemura started for Zimbabwe in the Africa Cup of Nations, helping his international team to a 2-1 win over Guinea.

The result wasn’t enough for Zemura's Zimbabwe to secure a place in the knockout stages but represents a milestone for the academy product and Cooper is delighted for the 22-year-old.

“It’s great to see what Jordan’s done at the club, he had a real impact when he arrived with his personality, he got on with the boys straight away and his attributes as a player were clear to see.

“I think he’s gone strength to strength and it’s great to see where he is now, playing in a major tournament like that.

“There’s still room for growth in Jordan which is an exciting thing, he’s a very level-headed young man, he loves everything about being a footballer and doesn’t take it for granted so he’s certainly going to work hard to take him where his potential could take him.”