Bournemouth Manager Eddie Howe Says He Is 'So Disappointed' By Late Defeat to Chelsea in EFL Cup

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has said he is 'disappointed' by his side's late 1-0 defeat at Chelsea in the EFL Cup quarter-finals. 

It took a late winner from substitute Eden Hazard to send Chelsea through to the semi-finals.

Christopher Lee/GettyImages

The loss now means Bournemouth have lost seven of their last eight matches in all competitions.

Despite their latest defeat, Cherries gaffer Howe saw plenty of positives in his team's performance at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to Bournemouth's club website, Howe said: "I'm pleased tonight, the start of the game was tough but we settled down and we were good value.

"We put in a disciplined defensive display, counter-attacked well and we used the ball well at times. The result really could've been different, I'm so disappointed for those players who gave their all out on the pitch.

"At 0-0 we looked more than capable and had our moments, we just couldn't get that one moment to score. There are so many positives to take. One of the positives is our squad, there were players who hadn't played regularly who did really well and it shows the strength in the squad.

"I thought Lys Mousset did very well and that was his best performance for the club. Technically he reached a very high level and he's a big part of our future.

"Artur Boruc was outstanding, it doesn't surprise me as he's a player who always rises to the occasion and he thrives on the sternest tests. He made a number of great saves and I don't know how he saved the effort at the end.

"Hazard always has a habit of scoring against us, he's a quality player who made the difference tonight."

Bournemouth will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they return to Premier League action on Saturday, welcoming Brighton to the Vitality Stadium for a 15:00 GMT kick-off.