Enner Valencia admitted to feeling a ‘bitter taste’ after Saturday’s agonising 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw with Stoke City
Enner Valencia admitted to feeling a ‘bitter taste’ in his mouth after Saturday’s agonising 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw with Stoke City.
The Ecuador star returned to the starting XI after missing three matches after suffering a lacerated toe in a freak accident at his home involving a broken toothpaste holder.
However, any joy the No31 felt at returning to the team disappeared when the Potters snatched a late equaliser at the Boleyn Ground.
“I am happy to be back in the team, but we were left with a bitter taste because I think it is the third or fourth time we have conceded right at the end of a game,” he said of Marko Arnautovic’s 95th-minute goal.
“To be honest, I think we were playing against a very good Stoke side, as they showed with their ball possession. It’s true that after the result we can say that after we scored we went back a bit too far, but they are a good side and looked after the ball well.”
Earlier, Valencia had joined in the celebrations after Aaron Cresswell netted an unstoppable free-kick the South American himself would have been proud of.
“I was going into the box when Stewart Downing called me and asked if I wanted to take it, but I didn’t need to because Aaron took it magnificently!” he smiled.
Unfortunately for Valencia, he suffered another painful foot injury during Saturday’s game when a Stoke player accidentally trod on his foot. He will undergo a scan to uncover the exact nature of the injury on Monday.
“I don’t know yet how serious it is, as they are going to run a scan on Monday,” he confirmed. “It was not done on purpose – a Stoke player stepped backwards and onto my foot. I think I have a little bit of an injury on my foot, but we have to run a scan on Monday to be sure.”
The Ecuador star returned to the starting XI after missing three matches after suffering a lacerated toe in a freak accident at his home involving a broken toothpaste holder.
However, any joy the No31 felt at returning to the team disappeared when the Potters snatched a late equaliser at the Boleyn Ground.
“I am happy to be back in the team, but we were left with a bitter taste because I think it is the third or fourth time we have conceded right at the end of a game,” he said of Marko Arnautovic’s 95th-minute goal.
“To be honest, I think we were playing against a very good Stoke side, as they showed with their ball possession. It’s true that after the result we can say that after we scored we went back a bit too far, but they are a good side and looked after the ball well.”
Earlier, Valencia had joined in the celebrations after Aaron Cresswell netted an unstoppable free-kick the South American himself would have been proud of.
“I was going into the box when Stewart Downing called me and asked if I wanted to take it, but I didn’t need to because Aaron took it magnificently!” he smiled.
Unfortunately for Valencia, he suffered another painful foot injury during Saturday’s game when a Stoke player accidentally trod on his foot. He will undergo a scan to uncover the exact nature of the injury on Monday.
“I don’t know yet how serious it is, as they are going to run a scan on Monday,” he confirmed. “It was not done on purpose – a Stoke player stepped backwards and onto my foot. I think I have a little bit of an injury on my foot, but we have to run a scan on Monday to be sure.”