EDDIE Howe shouldered the responsibility for Cherries’ toothless 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace and admitted: “There is no-one else to look at other than me.”

The Cherries boss admitted his side became “predictable” and “a bit stale” in an attacking sense, as they were condemned to their fourth straight loss.

Having played for 71 minutes against 10 men at Selhurst Park after Mamadou Sakho was sent off, the visitors were hit by a sucker-punch when Jeffrey Schlupp surged through to slot past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the second half.

Asked what he said to the travelling supporters on the pitch after the final whistle, Howe replied: “I was just saying I take responsibility for what we have delivered, always.

“When you are the manager and you are coaching the team, I coach the team, I’m very hands-on – there is no-one else to look at other than me.

“I wanted the supporters to know I was shouldering that responsibility.”

He added: “We weren’t good, no hiding that fact. It was very disappointing because it was a good opportunity with the sending off to really ram home that advantage and secure much-needed points.

“But we didn’t attack well, we didn’t pass the ball well enough. With the (man) advantage I think it almost had an adverse effect on us.

“We became predictable and a bit stale. They defended very well and made it difficult for us and we couldn’t break them down.

“Sat here I have to take responsibility for that. I coach the team, we train the team. We pride ourselves on really, bright, good innovative attacking play and it wasn’t there.

“We were disappointing out wide, we were predictable in our play and they were very well organised and tough to break down with 11 – they were even more so with 10.

“Their attacking play was put aside, they just waited for those transition moments and we paid the price.”

Cherries have now won just once in 10 games in all competitions, dating back to the Carabao Cup defeat to Burton Albion in September.

The Dorset club host league leaders Liverpool at Vitality Stadium on Saturday before a trip to Chelsea on December 14.

“Of course, with that kind of sequence of results, I have to be concerned and I have to take responsibility for that,” said Howe.

“We need to find solutions quickly.

“We have two really tough games to come but they are all difficult. We knew this (Palace) was going to be a big game. We knew how difficult it was going to be.

“But you have to rise to those challenges and find a solution to the problems you face. We are going to have to do that now and we are going to have to get a positive result as quickly as possible.

“There is no hiding place at this level. It’s so tough, it’s so difficult. The only way you are going to get there is with the collective.

“As a group now, we have to come out swinging, we have to come out fighting.”