Eddie Howe: 'Bournemouth were well in it against Chelsea'

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has claimed that his side were "well in it" against Chelsea on Saturday, despite falling to a 3-1 defeat.

The Cherries conceded twice early on as Adam Smith scored an own goal and Eden Hazard doubled the Blues' lead within the first 20 minutes.

Although Joshua King halved Bournemouth's deficit on the stroke of half time, Marcos Alonso's impressive free kick in the second period put the game beyond the south coast side's reach.

After the final whistle at the Vitality Stadium, Howe told reporters: "I thought it was a tight game today, we were well in it. It doesn't help going 2-0 down and it took a worldie free-kick to win the game.

"I have to compliment Chelsea, they're an outstanding team and their system works very well for them. But I compliment my boys as well because they played very well. In the end Chelsea were too strong.

"I'm not feeling anything other than we need to win some more games. What we've historically done is always try to win and that's the same aim no matter how many points you have and how many games are left."

The result saw Bournemouth slip to 15th place in the Premier League table, seven points above the relegation zone.