Eddie Howe says Bournemouth deserved to beat Watford
Saturday 27 February 2016 18:30, UK
Eddie Howe felt his Bournemouth side had the better chances and was frustrated not to come away with three points after they drew 0-0 with Watford.
"I thought we should have won today," Howe told Sky Sports.
"We were excellent for long spells in the game and [in the] second half we had some wonderful opportunities that we didn't take. But it's a clean sheet and it's a point so we have to be pleased overall.
"Away from home in this division any point is a valuable one, the disappointment is we didn't take the chances. (Heurelho) Gomes made some wonderful saves, a couple of those I thought were in and he managed to get a hand to it."
Howe also felt his side should have had a penalty in the second half after Valon Behrami appeared to handle the ball in his own box, but admitted it was a difficult decision for referee Anthony Taylor to make.
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"It happened quickly," Howe said. "I thought it was a penalty as I could see the hand come out. I thought the referee in the main had a good game but that was a big call he didn't give us. But we won't reflect too much on that."
Howe was also full of praise for midfielder Max Gradel, who returned from a six-month layoff as a first-half substitute for the injured Junior Stanislas.
"His performance summed him up," added Howe. "He's a player that things happen around, he creates chances and gets chances. He's a bit of a maverick for us and he'll have a big part to play if we can keep him fit. I thought he did great."
Gradel himself was also pleased with his display after playing his first game since August.
"It's been a long time waiting for this moment and I'm so happy to be back," Gradel told Sky Sports. "I want to thank everyone who believed in my and treated me to help me come back stronger.
"I was surprised (to come on that early) because I didn't expect one of my team-mates to get injured that early in the game but I was prepared to come on maybe in the second half. But if you're on the bench you've got to be ready because you never know.
"I had a chance to score but it didn't happen today. But the most important thing for me is I came on and played more than 50 minutes and it's good i didn't feel any pain."
