Courtois: “It's only half of the tie, but I am very happy with the team's performance”

Courtois was once again key with his reliability and especially with a save in the 75th minute from a close-range shot by O'Reilly. At the end of the match, the goalkeeper said: “It's only half of the tie, but I am very happy with the team's performance, with the intensity, with the work, fighting for each other, and that is beautiful. We don't make excuses for injuries and we fight until the end. It's a nice result but it's only a small step. I remember other defeats at the Etihad, anything is possible and we must stay focused.”

How would you define Valverde's performance?
“I am very happy. Valverde is very fast, very strong, good in the air, and has a good shot… He is a very complete player. We had trained a little on exploiting his space behind because they defend very high, and it worked out very well. Above all, the third goal is very beautiful, and I am very happy for him.”

His assist to Valverde for the first goal
“They know I am good with my feet and can reach far, and we took advantage of that today. In the end, it's easier against teams that play with a high line. In La Liga, with all due respect, teams defend more in a low block, but today we could show it with my pass and Valverde's goal.”

The save on O'Reilly
“We wanted to look for the third man, so I passed it to Thiago, but we had good pressure behind. He's a guy who likes to have the ball… In training, it happens often, not just with him, that they get tangled up and the player shoots. In the end, I was quick because I saw it could go wrong, and I saved it with my leg.”

What was the plan for defending corners against?
“The plan was not to concede. They have a lot of height, and our average height is 1.75 or 1.80 m. We defended very well. There was one where they blocked me in the back, and the referee was alert. For next week, they will surely try something new because in the first corner, it was a rehearsed play where Semenyo slipped but was alone. Those are things we also need to study.”

Vini Jr.'s penalty
“It's a shame, but there's always a 'what if' because they could have scored a goal too. This is football. Obviously, it's a pity. Going up 3-0 is already a nice result, and if Vini Jr. scores the penalty, they might have scored 4-1. Football is like that. It ended 3-0, and we know the return leg will be tough, and we will give everything to advance.”

The team's consistency
“We need to look at ourselves because we don't always start like today, with intensity, concentration, and being 100% into the game. That’s something we need to change in some matches. And then, teams defend very low against us, and we don’t always find the space. That’s where we have to improve. Today City came at us very offensively, and with Vini Jr., Valverde, and Brahim between the lines, you quickly find spaces that you don’t get in La Liga.”

Is this the team's best match of the season?
“Probably yes. It's one of the best, for sure. The one against Barça at home too, and we’ve had a few good ones away. We need to keep this in our minds for the rest of the season and finish strong.”

Arbeloa said Valverde is 'the Juanito of the 21st century'
“I didn’t see Juanito play, so I can’t say. He’s a legendary player. Valverde is also a legend of the club, and I’m happy for his match, for the work he does, and I hope he can recover well for the match against Elche.”

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.