Eddie Howe - As a group our mentality wasn't quite good enough

AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said his side needed to be better in a number of factors after falling to a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hostpur.

Spurs goals in the first half from Mousa Dembele and Heung-Min Son followed by two more second-half strikes courtesy of Harry Kane and substitute Vincent Janssen did the damage at White Hart Lane, the visitors unable to respond.

“It was a tough match,” Howe told afcb.co.uk after the game. “I thought they were very good, we weren’t so good and that’s not a good mix when you come here.

“They’re free-flowing, free-scoring and we didn’t cope with that very well.”

While the title-chasing hosts showed their credentials, the Cherries manager felt his side needed to look at themselves and question what had gone wrong.

“You have to focus on yourselves,” he said. “As much as I can give Tottenham credit we have to do better in certain situations, especially with the goals we conceded today.

“A whole host of things could have been done better. As a group our mentality wasn’t quite good enough.”

A promising light emerged from the bench as Lewis Cook made his first appearance since the opening day, replacing an injured Jack Wilshere in the second half.

Howe commented: “Lewis did well when he came on, he’s had to be very patient. He’s shown a great attitude behind the scenes, is willing to learn and wants to improve.”

The loss sets up a key clash with relegation-threatened Middlesbrough at Vitality Stadium next Saturday, with Howe knowing his side control their own Premier League destiny.

“We have five games left and we know every game is so important for us,” he said. “We have to go into the game with confidence knowing that our destiny’s in our own hands.”