Eran Zahavi who scored two goals against Maccabi Haifa to take his tally this season to 12 in the league and 18th in all competitions, admitted after the game: “I know this was my best match this season”. The 35-year-old veteran marksman added: “I am working very hard in a lot of matches which is something that is not always seen, but I give everything in every training session and match. We ran for each other today, we won duals and did everything our coach demanded from us. We must continue this way and even improve and do better.”

On work under Aitor Karanka, Zahavi added: “We have only been working together for two weeks and there is a good vibe going on. Things are looking good. Our team spirit stood out today which is something I was missing a bit until last week’s match. We want to continue pushing forward as this is how we need to look. This is Maccabi Tel Aviv”.