Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has declared himself pleased with his side's "very good" display against Southampton.

The Cherries fell to a 2-0 defeat at St Mary's to remain in trouble at the bottom end of the Premier League table.

Southampton took complete control of the game in the first half, but a couple of changes at the break saw the visitors come out much improved.

Despite ultimately having nothing to show for their second-half performance, Howe admits that he is happy with what he saw from Bournemouth on the whole.

"I thought the second half was everything we wanted the first to be," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "We were off the pace first half and Southampton played well. It was a reverse in the second but the only thing missing were goals.

"We wanted a bit more pace after the break. We got our passing rhythm going in the second half. The overall performance and work ethic was very good. Technically we showed we can compete. Our passing and movement were to a high level. We need to cut out the mistakes."

Next up for 17th-placed Bournemouth is a meeting against fellow strugglers Newcastle United next weekend.