Howe Relieved To Pass 40 Points

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe says he is pleased to have finally broken through the 40-point barrier with a 5-0 win at Brighton. Goals either side of half-time from Dan Gosling and Ryan Fraser, put the Cherries in control before Brighton saw Anthony Knockaert sent off for a reckless tackle.

David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas then also got in on the act to leave Brighton facing a relegation six-pointer on Tuesday night at home against Cardiff, who could cut the gap to just two points with a win. For Bournemouth, only a second win in 10 matches finally saw them break through the 40-point barrier.

“It has been a difficult run for us recently, so we knew the importance of this game, we were desperate to win,” said Howe. “It has been a frustrating second half of the season. We started so well that we felt we could really go on and achieve special things and it hasn’t really materialised.

“Our squad has been really stretched with injuries, we’ve missed some key players and that has halted our progress really. But we have come through it and got above the 40-point mark. It’s a nice place to be.

“Some of our build-up play was trademark us, the style of play returned. It was great to see Dan Gosling score after a long period without a goal and then in the second half we gelled and linked really well around the box and showed real quality. I’ll enjoy watching those goals back.”