BOSS Eddie Howe admitted Cherries’ “desperation” to break the deadlock against Norwich “worked against" the hosts at Vitality Stadium.

The sides played out a monotonous goalless draw against the Premier League strugglers – meaning they have not won in their past four games in all competitions.

Asked whether it had been a frustrating afternoon, Howe said: “Yes, it was because we started the game really well.

“I was really pleased with the first 15, 20 minutes, I thought we played some really good football and looked like we had a really good mentality to the game.

“But it didn't really get any better than that, we sort of faded away in the game, stopped doing the things that had brought us that early dominance and then became quite desperate to score.

“And in our desperation to score we put a lot of aerial crosses into the box, which never really suit us when we play that way.

“We're much better when we're a little bit more intricate and a little bit more patient. I think in our desperation to score that worked against us.

"There’s stuff to take from the game, positives. Of course the clean sheet and the fact that it's another point in the right direction but it's not the three we wanted and certainly we will have to look at the performance and try to learn from it.”

The point left the Dorset club ninth in the table, with 12 points from nine top-flight games.

Howe added: “Sometimes the bigger picture you always have to have in the back of your mind and it's not the three (points) we wanted but it's not a defeat at the same time.

“People will see the fact we're playing Norwich at home and the expectation is for it to be a home win and I understand that and that's certainly our expectation as well.

“But these games are never that easy. I fully respect Norwich and their manager, their players and the way that they play, they're a tough nut to crack and they were today for us.”