Bournemouth have been radically up and down this season, going from a 4-2 victory against Leicester
That wobble turned into a meltdown in the 90 minutes that followed, as Watford turned out one of the worst performances of the season. It was the Hornets who had the early pressure and the first goal, in fact, came from an attacking free kick for the home side.
A poor delivery was scooped up by Bournemouth who broke at pace with the likes of Callum Wilson and Josh King
It was the up-and-coming star Daniel Brooks who was Johnny-on-the-spot for the follow-up, thumping the ball into a now empty net. That shook Watford but it was a bigger error from Christian Kabasele that handed the game to the away side.
Opting to trip King in the area after he was given the slip, Kabasele received a second yellow, conceding the penalty and reducing his side to 10 men. King converted the penalty and the two forwards had a field day beyond that after Javi Gracia chose to drop Etienne Capoue deeper rather than replace his centre-half.
Adding a goal each either side of halftime, King and Wilson made sure their team ended the match with a resounding victory, and manager Howe was full of praise for his side after what he described as a tough place to come.
"We are very pleased with the result. This is a tough place to come and Watford have been in good form. It wasn't the perfect performance but we are happy,” Howe told BBC Sport.
Happy Cherry this evening!!! @afcbournemouth 14pts from safety, Europe here we come! Well done lads #WATBOU pic.twitter.com/3akWoqK12s
— Gary Adams (@GazzaAdams) October 6, 2018
Howe also insisted his side have always had performances like this in them and claimed they are as good as anyone on the day.
"We believe we are capable of beating anyone when we are on top of our game. It is good that I think there is room to improve. We like to stay in the background and as underdogs. We will go about our work in a controlled way," he added.
Bournemouth moved up to fifth in the Premier League after this weekend’s action, and will be hoping to keep the momentum going after the international break.
Source: 90min