AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola lauded the influence of substitute Enes Ünal after the Cherries staged a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down to defeat Luton Town 4-3.
Ünal, fresh off his dramatic late equalizer against Sheffield United, entered the fray at halftime in place of Alex Scott with Bournemouth trailing by a significant margin.
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The Turkish international partnered Dominic Solanke upfront, shifting the Cherries’ approach towards a more attacking formation.
This tactical switch proved pivotal as Bournemouth launched a thrilling comeback. Ünal played a key role in the turnaround, contributing to the build-up of two goals and nearly adding his name to the scoresheet himself.
Speaking after the match, Iraola emphasized the importance of Ünal’s introduction:
“I think we had to take more risks,” he said.
“We put Enes and Dom up front, so they (Luton) had to focus a little bit more in the middle and we could find situations one against one with Antoine and with Tav (Marcus Tavernier) in the second half.
“I think both fought a lot, Enes and Dom.
“They gave chances to their teammates and were even involved in the goals.
“I think Enes also had some chances to score at the end.
“He gave the assist to Ant in the last goal and was part of the second goal, before the clearance. Both were involved and played well together.”
Unal has one goal and one assist in 98 minutes of Premier League football since joining Bournemouth in January.
The striker will now travel to Turkiye for national team friendly games over the international break. Unal has 32 international caps for the Turkish national team.
