CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe’s assertion that Arsenal’s Mathieu Flamini should have seen red for his X-rated lunge has been backed by referee’s chiefs.

Following a review of the two-footed tackle on Dan Gosling in the ninth minute of Sunday’s showdown at Vitality Stadium, Howe this week received a call to say man-in-the-middle Kevin Friend should have dismissed the Frenchman.

Howe was "surprised" by Friend’s decision to only book Flamini for a "type of tackle tackle that has been outlawed" but Gunners manager Arsene Wenger ludicrously claimed a foul should have been given the other way in his post-match address.

Questioned on Wenger’s view, Howe told the Daily Echo: “The only thing I need to say is that I got a call from the assessor who looked at the game and discussed the incident.

“They all believe in retrospect that it should have been a red card so I think that puts an end to it.”

The feedback follows on from the Premier League’s admission in August that an error had been made in allowing Liverpool’s winner when Cherries lost 1-0 at Anfield.

More questionable calls then led to ex-top flight referee Mark Halsey to argue Howe had “every right to complain” about the standard of officiating in an interview with the Echo at the end of November.

“I think we have been there a few times this season,” Howe continued. “You get the information afterwards, what they think the decision should have been, and you respect them for that.

“You thank them for their honesty and hopefully, by reviewing it properly the decision making improves in the future. That’s all you can ask for.”

Meanwhile, Howe, who lamented Cherries for a lack of cutting edge in the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal, insisted there would be no hangover when Stoke visit today (3pm).

“Ultimately, you are judged on your ability to score goals and break down opposing teams,” he added.

“We had a lot of good possession against Arsenal and I think it is very rare that any team gets the ball in as many good situations.

“To then have no goals to our name was disappointing, the goalkeeper made some good saves but we still felt we could have done better in certain situations.

“We have been working on it but that’s not something specific for this game, it is something we are trying to get better at all the time.

“I think it is important not to overreact when you suffer a defeat, especially when you play one of the big five or six clubs. You have to realise it is a one-off game and that you will be very quickly judged on what you do again the next week.

“I don’t see confidence being an issue in terms of our goal scorers or our creativity, I think we have seen a steady increase in our ability to create chances and score goals throughout the season and hopefully that will continue.”