EDDIE Howe baulked at suggestions Cherries were safe from relegation and said they still had a long way to go to preserve their Premier League status.

Defeat by leaders Chelsea at Vitality Stadium on Saturday – which ended Cherries’ five-match unbeaten run – left them seven points above the drop zone.

A visit to second-placed Tottenham is next on the agenda for Howe’s team, with the hosts still harbouring hopes of pipping Chelsea to the title.

Following the trip to White Hart Lane, Cherries face the bottom two – entertaining Middlesbrough on April 22 before heading to Sunderland seven days later.

Cherries then meet Stoke and Burnley in back-to-back home games at the start of May before bringing down the curtain at Leicester.

Asked following the Chelsea game how he was motivating his players as relegation was not a threat, Howe replied: “Trust me, that is not a problem. To say relegation is not an issue is not how we are looking at it.

“We are very motivated to get as many points as we can and we know things can change very quickly.

“I hear this question one week and, the next, it could be a totally different one so we need to guard against that and focus on every game.”