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Cardiff manager Neil Warnock 'proudest man' after emotional Bournemouth win

Cardiff won 2-0 against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday

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Neil Warnock was emotional after Cardiff's win against Bournemouth

Neil Warnock says he is the "proudest man" as Cardiff manager after an emotional Premier League win against Bournemouth.

The game at the Cardiff City Stadium was the first home fixture for the club since striker Emiliano Sala went missing on a plane over the English Channel just under two weeks ago, along with pilot Dave Ibbotson.

Tributes were paid to the Argentine before and during the 2-0 win, with manager Warnock tearing up at the final whistle as he took a lap to thank the fans.

He said: "I was alright until the final whistle and I went on the pitch. The last 10 days or so, I can't begin to explain to you how difficult it's been. Knowing Emiliano as I did, I knew that he would have been with us today.

Bobby Reid holds up a t-shirt featuring an image of Emiliano Sala after giving Cardiff the lead
Image: Bobby Reid held up a shirt with Emiliano Sala's picture when he celebrated his first goal

"I thought the whole club was amazing... I think I was the proudest man to be the manager of the whole club today because the fans were just amazing.

"I started clapping [after the game] and the volume got worse and higher and higher. I've never seen anything like it. I've never heard anything like today ever and I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

"I felt immensely proud and I had pride in everybody. It was as if we had to show everybody our support for him. Coming back to the main stand to see my wife and kids up there, it just hit home that we had done him proud today.

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Neil Warnock and Cardiff City backroom staff observe a minutes silence in honour of Emiliano Sala
Image: Neil Warnock and Cardiff City backroom staff observe a minutes silence in honour of Emiliano Sala

"If we didn't get another point this year, I think they [the squad] have been amazing. I couldn't ask any more of any of them. We had all the ingredients today and it was almost like we couldn't be beaten today with the crowd. It was fabulous stood on the touchline."

Not only was the victory a touching nod to Sala but it helped Cardiff to get vital points on the board, with Bobby Reid scoring both goals on his 26th birthday.

Warnock added: "I think we deserved it. We knew that Bournemouth would have a lot of the possession, we worked on certain aspects of the game and I thought we were always a threat on the break.

Bobby Reid gives Cardiff an early lead from the penalty spot
Image: Bobby Reid scored both goals for Cardiff in the 2-0 victory

"We could have had more goals and I was delighted to get the three points because it makes a few of the other clubs a bit more nervous over the next few weeks.

"The whole squad have really worked hard. We haven't even got Harry Arter and Victor Camarasa today and we made up for it... We were quite positive in how we set up and it was just great to get the win. I didn't see either goal so I will have to keep away a little bit more."

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