We're not safe yet - Howe

Eddie Howe insists Bournemouth cannot afford to relax in their fight against relegation despite putting seven points between them and Stoke City on Saturday.

Joshua King and Lys Mousset saw off the Potters with a pair of late goals in a 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium, shoring up a top-half spot in the process.

The come-from-behind victory made it seven unbeaten in the Premier League - a run only matched by Tottenham - and opened a handy buffer over the 18th-placed visitors.

However, the Cherries boss warned his side against becoming overly comfortable amid a congested table.

"Football can change so quickly. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves and we know there is a lot of hard work to be done," Howe told Sky Sports.

"Today was a totally different feel from the [midweek victory against] Chelsea. We weren't great in the first period, we had to dig in and make sure we didn't concede a second goal.

"But we grew into the game and we improved as every minute went by and I felt we finished very strongly."

 

February 3, 2018

Howe reserved special praise for influential substitutes King and Mousset, with the latter's winner marking his first top-flight goal in English football.

"It shows the quality of the squad. Two players who don't start the game come on and have an impact for us," he said.

"Lys has been waiting for his first Premier League goal. He is such a talented player, he can do really special things on a football pitch.

"I'm delighted he got off the mark for us."