Hugo Ekitike: 'I needed that to free myself up'

Christophe Galtier

"My players knew how to get the job done. I think we played a very good first half, positioned very high up the pitch, in the opponents' half, with great pressure on this Lorient team. That's how we scored. That's how we created many situations. And in terms of moves, in terms of activity in the first half, it was satisfactory. Afterwards, we obviously regret not having scored one or two more goals. And then there was the second half, where Lorient obviously made it difficult for us with a well laid-out game, a lot of verticality. It was a difficult pitch. The players' bodies are under a lot of pressure at the moment. And as much as we were proactive in the first half, we were reactive in the second. But when you have that, it's a sign of good health, even though it wasn't an easy win.

"Concerning the choice of players, Danilo hadn't started a game for a while and he was awesome, obviously in defence, but also in pour creating the overlap. So he was very valuable in defence, but also obviously dangerous from attacking set pieces. I liked Hugo's ability to put in a lot of effort for the team and his ability to create situations for himself. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to score his first goal. But he should continue like that, it was a promising performance. And then the substitutes came on with a lot of determination. There was a real desire from the squad to win today."

Hugo Ekitike

"It was a match where we were on top at times but also on the back foot at times. But we got the job done thanks to that goal by Danilo which, it's true, freed us up at the end. But we did the job and today, I think that's the main thing, that's what you have to remember.

"The goal? Ney was pressing and I won the ball. My first thought was to shoot, but I saw that he was unmarked and in a better position than me. And Ney, with his qualities, managed to convert my pass. It's satisfying, and I needed that to free myself up. And it's good because we also got the win. So I'm very happy about that. We must continue. I'm a striker who likes to bring others layers into the game. Of course I like to score, that's the main thing for me. But to see someone else score, and if I can be decisive in another way, whether it's with a pass, a run, by drawing the foul, and as long as it helps the team, I'm happy. The aim is for it to end with a win and a goal as well."