CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe was left to rue the loss of goalkeeper Artur Boruc as Cherries' injury jinx struck yet again.

Boruc was ruled out with a thigh injury during the warm-up ahead of this afternoon's 5-1 defeat at Manchester City, with Adam Federici stepping in at the last minute.

The Pole is set to have a scan tomorrow, with Howe as yet unsure of the extent of the damage.

Howe said: "Artur was complaining of discomfort in his thigh so we had to get Feds ready which was not ideal as he had little time to prepare.

"It wasn't ideal but you have to deal with it and our poor start made it even more difficult."

Raheem Sterling’s first-half hat-trick and Wilfried Bony’s double saw City ease to a comfortable victory, despite Glenn Murray’s 22nd-minute strike giving Cherries a glimmer of hope.

Howe added: “It was very difficult and they have quality. It was our first experience of the top four and we didn't deal with it well.

“We made a few individual errors. We did show character in the second half and there was a spell during the first half when I thought we were on top but we couldn't maintain it."

Watch the video for Howe's full post-match briefing.

  • Video shot by Andy Martin and edited by Corin Messer.