We are going to play at last-placed Portsmouth on Saturday. And even if there is no real pressure on us since we confirmed our spot in the Premier League, we truly want to have a good result.

 

We were held to a 1-1 draw at home last Saturday by Blackburn. It was a risky and stressful game because we could keep our Premier League spot with a victory whatever the other results may be. We were probably under stress because of that and we conceded a goal just before the half-hour of play on a set pied (0-1). We were trailing at half-time, not exactly what we had dreamed of.

 

Hopefully, we managed to have a way better second half, even if we had some kind of luck with Blackburn hitting the woodwork twice. But we kept on fighting, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake came in and headed home the equalizing goal on a cross from the left just a few minutes later (1-1). We pushed to score the second goal because we didn’t know what was going on between Hull City and Sunderland. We only understood at the final whistle, when our supporters invaded the pitch. It was a wonderful moment with our fans, a truly extraordinary feeling to have in my young career.

 

But we had to wait on Burnley’s result, and the Clarets were dismantled 4-0 by Liverpool on Sunday, making our top-flight status certain. We celebrated this achievement between players because we were at the PFA awards party. It is a great relief and a huge satisfaction for the club. We will now do our best to finish with style.