Eddie Howe Claims Bournemouth Are 'Capable of Beating Anyone' Following 4-0 Rout Over Watford

07 October 2018 09:06

Eddie Howe was in high spirits after seeing Bournemouth storm to a 4-0 victory over Watford. It was the Cherries' biggest Premier League away win to date, and the manager has boldly claimed that they can match anyone in the aftermath of the result.


Bournemouth have been radically up and down this season, going from a 4-2 victory against Leicester one week to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Burnley the next. At kick-off this looked to be another tough afternoon for the Cherries with Watford having made a strong start to the season barring a recent wobble.

Watford FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

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 surging forward. Watford couldn’t regain their shape in time as King’s cross forced an excellent diving save from Ben Foster.

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.

Watford FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

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.

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