Eddie Howe Lauds Matchwinner Ryan Fraser as Bournemouth End Winless Run Against Everton

Eddie Howe has praised the match-winning contribution of Ryan Fraser after the winger's two-goal salvo downed Everton to end Bournemouth's winless run.

Fraser bagged both goals in the 2-1 home victory over the Toffees, and brought an end to the Cherries' nine-match without a win that had stretched back to mid-November.

Speaking to the club's official site after proceedings had ended, Howe was quizzed on Fraser's display and he rightly showered the 24-year-old with praise.

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He beamed: "I’m so pleased for Ryan and he’s showing what a good player he really is. He’s a great lad and, from his days at Aberdeen, it’s been a long way for him to get here development wise.

"The level of the game technically was very high and it shows how well he coped with it and how capable he is. He’s really showing what he can do."

The triumph lifted the south coast club up to 13th position in the Premier League, and Howe admitted that his side needed the lift a victory could provide due to how tight the standings are.

He continued: "We’re well aware of how tight the league table was and is. Two good results and everything changes and two bad results it changes the other way.

"You need results and I’ll always try and be honest. I’m pleased to say we’ve won and played well, that’s the best combination that a manager can say."

One blot on a day when Bournemouth eased their relegation fears was a suspected hamstring injury to key striker Joshua King - something that Howe lamented at the final whistle as he revealed a couple of knocks that his charges had picked up.

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He added: "Josh [King] looks like a hamstring pull so we’ve had to make changes again, but the team performance was still there and it didn’t affect us.

"We’ll assess the likes of Adam Smith and Nathan Ake who were feeling tight at the end."