SAM Allardyce says Cherries are top of a seven-team Premier League – and the Crystal Palace boss has Eddie Howe's team fixed in his sights.

Palace's 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Saturday – only their second success in Allardyce's nine top-flight matches in charge – saw the Eagles climb one point and one place above the relegation zone.

More pertinently, with 14th-placed Cherries going down to defeat at West Brom, only four points now separate Howe's men from the Selhurst Park club.

“We’ve got closer to Bournemouth – that is my target,” said Allardyce.

“It is a seven-team Premier League for us, with Bournemouth at the top – I’ve said can we try to get as near to the top as possible?

“On Saturday, we got a lot closer. Bournemouth got beaten and so did Swansea. Hull drew.

"We rushed in and looked at the monitor. When others win, it kills it a bit. But that didn’t happened.

"It moved us out of the bottom three and closer to Bournemouth.”