Jamie Carragher lavishes praise on Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stunning strike

Jamie Carragher spoke glowingly of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s magical moment that secured Everton’s survival in the Premier League, hailing his winning goal against Bournemouth as an ‘incredible goal’.

Midfielder Doucoure blasted home from the edge of the box in his side’s do-or-die clash at Goodison Park yesterday.

For much of the Merseyside game, the hosts struggled to create clear chances and were almost penalized for their blunt display, with Cherries striker Dominic Solanke coming closest to silence the raucous atmosphere.

However, Doucoure provided the dagger that sealed a 17th-place finish for the Toffees, leaving goalkeeper Mark Travers helpless despite his previous exploits.

Sky Sports pundit Carragher spoke of the lavish effort after the match, praising the 30-year-old’s impact since being brought in from the cold.

The midfielder grabbed a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and shot into the far corner

Jamie Carragher hailed the effort as “incredible” and praised Doucoure’s overall impact

“Incredible goal,” Carragher said. “He has been a huge influence on the team since coming back to the team under Sean Dyche.

“You think how many special goals Everton have scored to give them big points, we saw another one today that gave Everton three points.

“There is a real lack of quality in this team. They never seem to score a goal in general play. It feels like something very special or a regular feature.

“That was exactly the same today.”

After the post-game chaos subsided, Doucoure was just as eager to enjoy his crucial intervention and admitted the goal was the ‘most important’ of his career.

“This was the most important goal of my career,” he said Sky Sports.

“We know how important Everton are. It’s important for everyone, important for me, for my teammates, for the whole club. Today we knew that if we scored a goal, we would win the game. It was a good feeling at the end to win the game.’

Doucouré drove off to celebrate his crucial goal which saw his side stave off relegation

However, despite the dramatic end to the season, Doucoure said ‘we need to be much better’

When asked if he could have hit the ball any sweeter, he replied, “I don’t think so!” It was a great goal. I’m so glad it went in and gave us the three points we needed.’

Sean Dyche struck a sombre tone despite Everton’s victory. He insisted his squad had little to celebrate and laid bare the extent of the rebuilding required.

Doucoure shared a similar sentiment, urging his teammates to raise their level.

‘Don’t get carried away. I’m not a hero. Nobody’s here,” he said BBC Sports. “We work and play for Everton Football Club. We have to be much better than that.

“We have to realize the mistakes we made this season. Everyone showed passion at the end, but next season we have to come back stronger and take Everton higher.”

He added: “It was a huge game for us. We are so happy. Our feeling is hard to describe. We fought all season to compete and save the club. This afternoon we gave everything. It wasn’t our best game, but we gave everything and got the result.’