Saturday 15 October 2016 18:42, UK
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was delighted to see his team get the goals that their scintillating attacking play deserved in the 6-1 win over Hull City on Saturday, and added that Jack Wilshere has become an important part of his side.
Howe's Cherries ran riot against Hull at the Vitality Stadium, scoring three goals in each half to record the club's biggest ever top-flight victory.
"We got the goals today that out attacking play deserved and probably our season's deserved, because some of our games have been so tight and in some I think we've deserved to score more than we have done," Howe said. "We get our reward today.
"There were a few moments early in the game where we got into some great positions and we didn't pull the trigger, but then when the chances came we finished them off superbly and that hasn't always been the case this season.
"We gifted them a goal, but fair play to the players because at that moment the game could have swung either way, but we put our foot down and went again and found the energy to win the game comfortably."
Wilshere played 79 minutes of the game on the south coast, pulling the strings in midfield without having a striking impact in the final third. But Howe believes that the Arsenal loanee's role in the side played a big part in the result.
"He's improving all the time for me, Jack [Wilshere]," the Bournemouth boss said. "He had a big bearing on the game today, although maybe not evident initially on the eye, but he's behind a lot of our good football and yeah he's improving all the time."
Bournemouth finished on 42 points last season, comfortably avoiding relegation in a season when many predicted the newly-promoted club to go straight back down.
It seemed to be a big challenge to improve on that effort, but early indications are that Howe's side have taken yet another step up.
"I like to think we've improved and we'll continue to improve as the season goes," Howe said. "This is an incredibly tough division, we have Tottenham next - we know how good they are - so there are no easy games. We can just enjoy this for tonight and then look forward."
Spurs dispatched Bournemouth in emphatic fashion twice last season, racking up an aggregate scoreline of 8-1 over the two meetings, but the Cherries boss is looking forward to the challenge of responding to those defeats.
"Whenever one of the best teams in the country comes down it's a chance for us to pit our wits against them," he said. "They're an outstanding team, probably the best team we played last season, so it will be a good test for us."
