Eddie Howe hails 40-point mark as Bournemouth look to the future

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe declared himself delighted to reach the 40-point mark with victory at Aston Villa.

Goals from Steve Cook and Josh King earned the Cherries a 2-1 victory at Villa Park that moved them up to 11th and three points away from the Premier League's top half.

"We are very pleased to pass the 40-point mark. We've had a tough couple of games before this so it was great to get the win," Howe said.

"It is difficult for their players and them as a club, in their position. But it was key for us was to forget about that and take care of our business, and full credit to the players for doing that.

"It was a tight game but thankfully we took our chances and got our goals. The result was the most important thing.

"You only enjoy games when you perform well. There's a pressure on us to keep performing. We have some big teams to play and great games, so we'll try and do our best."

Bournemouth's opener was skillfully worked, with a short corner taken before Matt Ritchie's drag-back set up Simon Francis to cross low and Cook to flick home with his heel.

And Howe said: "It was part of our game-plan to try and unsettle them with quick corners. The first three didn't work, which was disappointing.

"So it was great play by Matt, Simon and then Steve, who stuck it away."