Abdoulaye Doucoure has conceded that his match-winning goal was the "most important" of his career as his effort steered Everton clear of relegation.
The Blues midfielder rifled home the only goal of the game shortly before the hour mark as Sean Dyche's side held on to beat Bournemouth 1-0 and secure their place in next season's Premier League.. Leicester City and Leeds United join Southampton as the confirmed clubs who suffer the drop to the Championship.
It's been a mixed season for Doucoure but one where the Mali international has finished strongly under former Burnley boss Dyche. It appeared his Everton career was all but over under Frank Lampard but the 30-year-old was reintegrated into the squad following the Chelsea legend's sacking and has proved to be a key member of the squad in the battle to avoid relegation.
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"This one was the most important goal of my career, we know how important Everton is for everyone, for me, my team-mates," Doucoure said speaking to Sky Sports after the match. "Today, we knew if we scored a goal, we were going to win the game. It was a good feeling in the end to win the game.
"I don't think so [could've hit it any better], everybody was saying I don't score any goals [like that] in training, I just save for them for the game, I haven't watched it back yet. I'm so happy we got the three points we needed."
The strike capped the best goalscoring return for the midfielder during his time at Goodison Park. As part of his response to his resurgence under Dyche, Doucoure reaffirmed he has always been "ready" to help the Blues.
He added: "When the club signed me, I knew I could score goals and the last six months I was in shape, I was fit, ready to help the club and at the end, I get the reward, I deserve it.
"We know Everton have never been relegated, as a player you don't want to be a part of it. I'm very happy to be on the pitch this afternoon to make history for the club. There's a lot of work to do, we can't get carried away with this win, the feeling is good - we got the job done - but we can't come back to this [relegation battles] every year.
"I'm just happy to have scored the goal. I'm so happy for my team-mates, they work so hard through the season and the Everton fans, they deserve it a lot."
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