WITH the sense of frustration and anger still burning from Saturday’s loss at Turf Moor, Cherries fans looked like suffering a second killer blow just two days later.

What most thought would be a formality proved anything but for champions-elect Liverpool as they edged past West Ham at Anfield on Monday night.

With 23 minutes to play the Hammers led 2-1, a result which would have lifted them out of the bottom three and above Cherries.

But, thankfully – from the perspective of those watching on in Dorset – late goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane swung the contest and gave Liverpool a 3-2 win, which keeps West Ham in the relegation zone.

In reality, this was just a glimpse into a situation Cherries fans will be getting used to during the run-in – watching other team’s results as much as their own.

From a neutral’s perspective at least, the battle to avoid the drop is set for a thrilling conclusion with only Norwich City seemingly cut adrift.

With 11 games to play, the rock-bottom Canaries are seven points from safety. Above them, just four points separate 19th-placed Watford and Brighton up in 15th. In amongst that melee you find Cherries, sitting 16th in the table, two points outside the drop-zone after the 3-0 defeat at Burnley.

There is a sense that performance levels at least have certainly raised from Eddie Howe’s men compared to the seemingly relentless negative spiral of results across the Christmas period. Cherries won just one of 12 fixtures between November and mid-January, losing 10, culminating in back-to-back losses against fellow strugglers Watford and Norwich.

But the victory over Brighton appeared to lift the pressure valve with Cherries since going on to defeat Aston Villa and also show promising signs in defeat at Sheffield United and Burnley.

Despite encouraging displays at Turf Moor and Bramall Lane, Cherries ultimately came away with no points. And with the daunting fixture list ahead, it is going to take a special performance for Howe’s charges to come away with a result from any of their five remaining away days.

Asked how much of a missed opportunity the past two games have been, midfielder Andrew Surman told the Daily Echo: “I think we’ve just got to keep taking the positives. Especially first-half in both these last two games, we’ve been miles the better team so we’ve got to keep being positive and hopefully we can take our chances.”

Staying positive is growing increasingly more difficult.

Cherries still have to go to Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as facing daunting trips to Manchester United and Wolves before the season ends at Everton.

Those five sides are among the Premier League’s top nine in terms of home form this campaign.

So with that in mind, it is perhaps no great surprise to see Cherries listed as one of the three favourites for relegation by many bookmakers, alongside Norwich and Aston Villa.

With only 26 points on the board, just one away win since September and the difficult fixture list, Cherries have to be looking to collect almost all the points they need from their six remaining home games.

The 40-point mark is generally spoken about as the target required for safety, but in truth it is often a considerably lower total that is enough to stay up. Not since 2002-03 has a side with more than 40 points (West Ham with 42) been relegated. Liverpool’s dominance of the league could skew the tally needed this term, but four more wins could well be enough for Cherries.

A return to form at home in recent weeks has been key to revitalise the club with successive league victories at Vitality Stadium and a similar atmosphere will be needed against a wounded Chelsea on Saturday, who went down 3-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek.

Of the six remaining home fixtures, clashes against Crystal Palace, Southampton and Newcastle will be seen as absolutely crucial for Cherries. Aside from those, Howe’s men will need to produce a huge display to see off either Chelsea, Tottenham or Leicester to clinch which could well be a decisive fourth win.

“Your home games, you’ve got to make it a fortress and that’s what we’ve got to do,” said Surman.

A very close eye will be kept on the sides around them. Aston Villa’s fixture list looks equally as daunting as Cherries’, with only three of their final 11 games coming against bottom-nine rivals.

Watford and West Ham, the sides currently occupying the bottom three, have considerably more favourable run-ins on paper.

Whether it is a shock win against a big side for Howe’s men or revelling in another club’s defeat, the next couple of months are going to be gripping and at times no doubt excruciating for Cherries fans as the quest to extend the Premier League stay into a sixth season comes to a head.