BOSS Eddie Howe lauded Matt Ritchie’s wondergoal as his best yet after Cherries had triumphed 2-0 against Sunderland at Vitality Stadium.

Strikes from Premier League top scorer Callum Wilson and Scotland international winger Ritchie settled matters inside the first nine minutes as Cherries posted their first home win and clean sheet in the top flight.

On Ritchie’s blockbuster, Howe said: “I’ve seen him score similar but I haven’t seen him take it on his chest and hit one like that.

“He has an outstanding left foot and hits the ball so hard when he strikes it cleanly so it was not a total surprise.

“He scored a very similar one against Sheffield Wednesday last season but I think this one, due to the technical difficultly of bringing it out of the sky, probably is better and I hope he gets the credit he deserves because it really was a wonderful goal.”

However, when pushed on the most pleasing aspect of the afternoon, former defender Howe simply had to opt for Cherries’ shut-out at the other end.

“We are aware we need to keep clean sheets if we are to be competitive,” he added. “We can’t keep scoring two or three goals to stay in a game so the fact we were good at the back pleased me no end.

“Goals change games and to get such a great start gave us a lot of confidence.”

  • Video shot by Richard Crease