Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has claimed that his side deserved to beat Southampton during this evening's south coast derby in the Premier League.
The Cherries were second best for the majority of the first half at St Mary's but responded after the interval and squandered two glorious chances to break the deadlock when Adam Smith struck the post and Harry Arter blasted a penalty over.
Howe refused to criticise Arter, who slipped while taking the spot kick, but admitted that he is unsure whether the midfielder will get another chance from the spot.
When asked whether his side deserved all three points, Howe told reporters: "Definitely second half, we were excellent in the closing stages. We really dominated that last 25 minutes, and created some outstanding opportunities. On another day we'd have scored two or three. It took us until half an hour into the first half to get a foothold.
"We do have some tough games to come. It was important we got something; it edges us closer to where we want to be. I don't know where we go next with our penalty taker. We'll have to think about it and see. It's obvious he slipped, it's one of those things. No one goes there to miss. I have to respect that people put themselves up for it, because it's a difficult role.
"Josh King would have taken it: he goes off, you get the penalty, and Harry takes it. You would ideally think a player shouldn't slip taking a penalty but it's a high-pressure situation and these things happen. More pleasing is the fact we're creating those opportunities."
The stalemate leaves Bournemouth 11th in the Premier League table, now six points short of the 40-point mark.
Barney Corkhill
