AFC Bournemouth
Shaun Cooper was pleased with the performance but frustrated by the finishing after watching his side lose 2-0 to Southampton on Tuesday.
Two goals in quick succession in the opening 15 minutes of the second half won Saints the game, though the Cherries passed up a number of opportunities in a dominant first-half display and hit the bar through Dinesh Gillela and the post through Jaidon Anthony in the second period.
After the game, Cooper shared his thoughts with afcb.co.uk: "I don't think the scoreline reflected how the game went, to not even register a goal was astonishing really.
"We had some really good opportunities in the first half but we didn't manage to capitalise on what we created.
"We expected them to come out and press us quite aggressively and they did but I thought at times in the first half our boys were brave to play, broke the pressure, played round it and switched it to the opposite side. Unfortunately we couldn't put the chances we created away.
"In the second half we weren't as good as we were in the first but credit to the boys, they kept trying to play and the times when we did break the pressure again we got into good areas.
"We hit the post and hit the crossbar, it just wouldn't go in for us today.
"The way we ask the boys to play against that level of pressing there's going to be mistakes, it would just help if we had been more ruthless at the other end today - we'd have outscored them and maybe out of sight.
"There were situations in defence where we could and should have done better. Under the pressure from them for the whole game I don't think we conceded too much considering that.
"The fact that we had more chances than them spoke volumes for how well we played at times."
After the match Cooper conceded that he had little to add to his squad's personal assessment of their performance.
"I didn't have to say too much to the lads in the dressing room after full time," he said. "Their disappointment was clear to see and they were already saying the things that I was going to say anyway.
"They'll go away and they'll bounce back from this, it's a disappointing result but we know the lessons to take."
