Kaoru Mitoma praised the work of his teammates after his two goals against Bournemouth on Sunday.
The 26-year-old scored 15 seconds after coming on as a second-half substitute against the Cherries when a deft touch by Mo Dahoud teed him up after good work in the build-up by Ansu Fati.
“It was a difficult game, but we were able to score an equaliser in the first half which was a game changer,” Mitoma said. ”Ansu had aggressively worked on intercepting the ball from the opponent which made it easier to score.
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“I want to thank Ansu for his quality and Dahoud’s slight touch. If Dahoud wasn’t in that spot, I couldn’t have been free, so his role was important for that goal.”
The Japan international was initially hesitant to celebrate as he thought he had only equalised.
“I went to pick up the ball since I thought I had only made it 1-1, but I am glad I was calm [and realised I could celebrate].”
Mitoma ensured Roberto De Zerbi’s team had all three points in the bag with a cushioned header from Pervis Estupinan’s ball for our third of the day.
“The cross from Pervis was perfect,” Kaoru added. “I could have been in the right position for a header, but there aren’t a lot of players who could control their cross like that. I would like to thank Estupinian.
“[My return of goals and assists is] not bad. But I can score more and if I hadn’t scored on Sunday that question wouldn’t have been asked. I am not satisfied at all.”