EDDIE Howe insisted he could have asked no more of his players despite admitting frustration over the manner of Liverpool’s goals at Anfield.

A Cherries side hit hard by injury and unavailability were sunk 3-0 by well-taken goals from Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah on Saturday.

Those efforts extended to 34 games Liverpool’s unbeaten home run in the Premier League.

Boss Howe had questioned his players’ mentality after the 2-0 defeat at Cardiff but had no such observations this time round.

He told the Daily Echo: “You think long and hard about how you are going to approach the match.

“We went with three midfielders to try to protect the middle of the pitch and to try to make it difficult for them to feed their attacking players.

“We did it okay until the first goal, which was from a second-phase set-play. The second goal was from a giveaway by us and the third goal was from their throw-in.

“I’m frustrated with the goals and how they manufactured them.

“But I thought Liverpool were very good. When you get their top players at the top of their game – Salah, Firmino, Mane – they are difficult to stop.

“That’s not to say it’s impossible, because you then have to raise your game to levels which you are capable of.

“I thought our commitment and mentality was good.

“Sometimes it’s very easy to react to a result in a negative way but at 3-0 down in the early stages of the second half, that was a real examination and we never stopped fighting.

“Everyone gave their all and that’s all I can ask.”

Howe handed left-back Diego Rico and winger Jordon Ibe their first league starts of 2019 for the fixture on Merseyside.

Ibe carved out Cherries’ best opening of the game when he set up Ryan Fraser early on but the ex-Liverpool star was replaced by Dominic Solanke before the hour mark.

Rico gave an industrious display before being brought off with 10 minutes left.

Howe said: “It was a great test for Diego up against Salah – he won’t play against a more dangerous opponent, in my opinion.

“That would have been great for him. I thought he really hung in there and did okay.

“Jordon had really good moments in the first half on the counter-attack but then I felt we needed to make a change.

“(Fraser’s chance) was a really good move and Jordon played his part in that and Ryan was unlucky with his shot.”

Meanwhile, Howe is anxiously awaiting news on Junior Stanislas’s thigh injury.

Stanislas missed out on the matchday squad at Liverpool having felt the issue on Friday.

Howe said: “It’s a thigh problem. We’re not sure how serious it is. He just felt it in training.”

The manager said the former Burnley star would be likely to undergo a scan.

Stanislas joins Callum Wilson, David Brooks, Lewis Cook and Simon Francis on the sidelines.