Martinez can’t explain late lapse, hails Bournemouth

Ian Watson
Roberto Martinez: Too nice for his own good

Roberto Martinez: Too nice for his own good

Roberto Martinez could not explain Everton’s late lapse in the draw at Bournemouth but praised his side’s first-half performance. 

The Toffees thought they had stolen the points with an injury-time goal from Ross Barkley to go 3-2 ahead but Junior Stanislas earned a point for the hosts with strike in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

The result understandably disappointed Martinez, whose Everton side were 2-0 up before being pegged back.

“At times you have to accept those moments, that are nearly impossible to explain, happen,” the Everton manager said.

“Our first-half performance was exactly what we wanted.

“In the second half we could have done a little bit better, I thought we could have managed the game much better.

“For us to get that third goal was the big moment. What happened at that point is something that is out of our control. All we need to do is see the game through, it’s a hopeful ball into the box that drops into the back of the net.

“It felt we lost two points twice during the game, and that’s very difficult to explain.

“You couldn’t see Bournemouth getting back into the game. They deserve huge credit for having that desire and belief to get the third goal. It should have been enough for us.”