CHERRIES sunk into the bottom three of the Premier League on New Year’s Day as they fell to a resounding 4-0 defeat at West Ham.

Mark Noble’s double, Sebastien Haller’s acrobatic effort and Felipe Anderson’s strike ensured the Hammers leapfrogged the visitors in the table.

And insult was added to injury as Aston Villa’s 2-1 win at Burnley earlier in the day meant Cherries, who have lost eight of their past 10 games, dropped to 18th in the pile.

Visiting boss Eddie Howe made four changes from the side that fell to a 2-0 reverse at Brighton last time out.

Simon Francis and Callum Wilson returned in place of Jack Stacey and Joshua King, who were both left nursing hamstring injuries.

Philip Billing and Junior Stanislas dropped to the bench. Jefferson Lerma, who played his 50th game for the club, and Lewis Cook both returned to the starting XI.

The Hammers, managed by David Moyes on his return, had the better of the opening exchanges and took the lead on 17 minutes.

Good work by winger Robert Snodgrass on the right allowed him to cut back for Noble on the edge of the box.

The Irons skipper’s low drive took a wicked deflection off Lewis Cook to nestle in the bottom corner for 1-0.

Cherries then had a shout for a penalty turned down following a VAR referral. After some trickery from Harry Wilson on the right flank, the Liverpool loanee went to ground in the box but no spot-kick was given.

The hosts continued to press forward. After a foul on Snodgrass which earned Diego Rico a yellow card, the Scotland international’s menacing free-kick was headed clear by Callum Wilson.

Cherries’ afternoon then went from bad to worse as the hosts added a second on 25 minutes.

Snodgrass found the overlap of Ryan Fredricks to cross for Haller, who acrobatically volleyed home to double the advantage.

And 10 minutes before half-time, the game was all-but over. Noble went to ground after getting goal side of Harry Wilson in the box.

After referee Graham Scott pointed to the spot and the VAR check was complete, the midfielder picked himself up to confidently convert from 12 yards.

The visitors fashioned their only real chance of the half one minute before the break. Callum Wilson spread the ball out wide for Rico, whose left-foot drive stung the palms of Lukasz Fabianski.

Howe looked to the bench at the interval in a bid to change things. He brought on Ryan Fraser and Stanislas in place of Rico and Harry Wilson.

Moyes’s side almost added a fourth shortly after the break. After Haller got the better of Steve Cook, his cross for Pablo Fornals was cut out at the last second by Lewis Cook.

But the hosts were by no means finished there. A long ball forward saw Felipe Anderson skip away from Francis and place the ball into the net for 4-0, six minutes past the hour mark.

The hosts then escaped a red card for Aaron Cresswell following a check with the VAR.

Referee Scott judged the full-back to have lunged in on Fraser but on review, he was left with a caution.

And Cherries’ miserable afternoon was compounded when Dominic Solanke’s close-range header from Fraser’s cross hit the post.

Cherries: Ramsdale; Francis, S Cook, Mepham, Rico (Stanislas, h-t), L Cook, Lerma, Gosling (Simpson, 69), H Wilson (Fraser, h-t), Solanke, C Wilson.

Unused subs: Surman, Billing, Dobre, Boruc (g/k).

Booked: Rico, L Cook.

West Ham: Fabianski, Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Snodgrass (Masuaku, 83), Rice, Noble, Fornals, Anderson (Lanzini, 68), Haller.

Unused subs: Zabaleta, Sanchez, Diop, Ajeti, Roberto (g/k).

Booked: Cresswell.

Referee: Graham Scott.

VAR: Lee Mason.

Attendance: 59,917.