Andoni Iraola hailed Bournemouth’s confidence at half-time after they overcame a two-goal deficit to beat QPR 3-2 and reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Sinclair Armstrong and Lyndon Dykes gave the Championship hosts the advantage at the break.
But goals from Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Justin Kluivert helped the Cherries to an impressive comeback at Loftus Road.
Iraola said: “We had to play with a lot more urgency. We kept possession without attacking spaces and we didn’t make a difference.
“In the second half we had a higher rhythm and made the difference. It’s good that we’re in good shape mentally because we’ve been playing well recently.
“I felt at half-time that we believed it was possible. The mentality of the players was that we can do it. We felt like if we improved we had a chance.”
Since Marti Cifuentes took over in October, QPR have struggled to defend set pieces.
Iraola praised the execution of Moore’s equaliser, as the striker beat goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and saved Alex Scott’s corner after 58 minutes.
He said: “They had problems with defensive set pieces and luckily we converted them really well and were able to score the goals.”
“We had a change in attitude and had to play differently.”
Cifuentes admitted that his side have a poor record from set pieces and that it may be a mental problem.
The Spaniard refused to target the 36-year-old Begovic despite the mistake.
He said: “You don’t have to be a genius to see the stats and since I’ve been here we’ve conceded 15 goals, 10 of which were from set pieces.”
“Unfortunately, set pieces have been a problem for some time and we’re not getting better, so we need the balance. It can also be a psychological problem.
“The fact that we concede goals from set pieces is not just because of the goalkeeper. Asmir is a very experienced goalkeeper, he knows how to handle it.
“He is the type of leader who wants to take responsibility. I don’t want to show individually, it’s a team effort.”
