Warnock sheds tear & heaps praise on Cardiff after emotional Bournemouth win

Neil Warnock praised his Cardiff side after Bobby Reid's double secured victory over Bournemouth as the club paid full tribute to missing striker Emiliano Sala, with the manager appearing overwhelmed with emotion at the final whistle.

This was the Bluebirds' first home game since the plane carrying their £15million record signing and pilot David Ibbotson went missing over the English Channel.

Having applauded fans after the win, Warnock admitted he shed a tear at the end of the game but insisted he was 'proud' to be manager

Warnock said: ‘The crowd were amazing all the way round. It's been a very emotional 10 days. It got to me in the end, it can’t be helped can it? It’s one of those things.

‘The players were amazing - I thought they were at Arsenal as well. I was disappointed we didn’t win the other night

‘Today it was just not about surviving, I thought we played well as well, because they’re a decent team.

‘I was really pleased with how we worked on the system and what we were going to do. I thought it worked an absolute treat today.

‘We knew they would have a lot of possession, they have got some good players.'

As part of the tributes, both teams stood in a minute's silence, while the home team had daffodils and Sala's name on their match shirts.

The outside of the stadium was covered in floral tributes, and striker Reid also held up a shirt with Sala's name on it after opening the scoring.

Warnock admitted he was proud of how the club had handled the situation and believed Sala would feel the same.

He added: ‘I thought the attitude was fabulous today. We played some good stuff and we broke well. And the crowd, I can’t believe it.

‘I said to the lads that he's not here today but Emiliano would be proud of us all. I thought as a football club we acted amazing.

'I'm pleased for the chairman and the owner Ken Choo too. It’s great for all of us and now we can get on with the rest of the season. We've told the others team now that we won't give up without a fight.

‘We can't have much more in my career. To have the Leicester City thing in the first game here and then this on top.

He added: 'I've known the lad for a couple of months so you’re get attached to them. I'm proud to be the Cardiff manager, that's for sure.’

Cardiff's players also spoke about the tragedy, with defender Sol Bamba also hailing how the team have handled the difficult situation.

Sol Bamba: ‘Credit to the lads, it's been a difficult couple of weeks.’

Goalscorer Reid added: ‘The lads have had a tough few weeks. It was right [to hold up a shirt with his name on] for him and his family.’