HONEST captain Simon Francis vowed to avoid a repeat incident after his first-half mistake proved costly against Manchester United.

The experienced defender's under-hit back-pass allowed Juan Mata to sneak in on goal minutes before half-time.

Although Cherries goalkeeper Artur Boruc saved smartly, the loose ball bounced off the luckless Francis and Spanish international Mata gleefully tapped home.

It was harsh on the hosts, who led by Francis had kept the visitors at bay for the opening 39 minutes, only to be punished at a key moment.

And following the restart, goals from England star Wayne Rooney and summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic effectively banked the Red Devils three points, with Adam Smith's 69th-minute strike proving a mere consolation for Eddie Howe's men.

Reflecting on the opening goal, Francis told the Daily Echo: "Personally, I was disappointed with the back-pass. It was a routine back-pass that I should have dealt with better.

"It was at an awkward time when we were in the game and were comfortable.

"Artur did brilliantly to come off his line and I think Mata might have tried to dink it over him. Artur cleared the ball but it hit me and fell into Mata's path.

"When luck is against you, things can turn in a matter of seconds. It was disappointing because it changed the team talk at half-time. We had to come out and try and go for it.

"I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm old enough and wise enough to know what happened and how to change that in the future. I can move on from it and not let it happen again."

Francis was adamant Cherries would take positives from the clash with the 20-time top-flight champions ahead of the trip to West Ham – at the Olympic Stadium – this Sunday.

He said: "We're going to take positives from it just like we did last season, even the games we lost. We dominated possession at times and created chances but maybe we just didn't have that cutting edge.

"Our goal came at a good time when we were trying to get back in the game and we were on top for the last 15 or 20 minutes but it just didn't go our way.

"We're disappointed but we will bounce back. We have done in the past. If it's going to happen at any time, it's better it happens earlier in the season so we can move on.

"We have another big game coming up next week. They don't get any easier in this division and we were aware of that last season. We will work hard and go again."

The contest at Vitality Stadium provided former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain frontman Ibrahimovic with his first taste of the Premier League.

And Francis admitted he had relished the battle with the Swedish star.

Francis added: "That's what it's all about in this division – testing yourself against the best. I enjoyed every minute of it and I'm sure the other lads did as well.

"It was a great test to play against the world's best, not just the best in the Premier League. It's great for the club that he's coming down to Bournemouth, it shows how far we've come.

"We know how high the bar is going into these kind of games and we'll learn from it."