Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has admitted that his side were "very disappointing" in their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino fired the Reds to victory at the Vitality Stadium as Jurgen Klopp's men moved into the top four.

The result left Bournemouth in 16th, just a point outside the relegation zone.

"I think we have to look at ourselves before we look at the opposition today," Howe told Sky Sports News. "We were flat, we never got going and we can't turn the ball over like we did today because it is very difficult to defend when the numbers are against us.

"We are aware our style can leave us vulnerable and we left ourselves exposed at times. We didn't get our game going today and when you don't perform against the top teams, you're going to get punished so it was very disappointing for us today."

"It's going to be a tough challenge but I back us to come back strong from this," Howe added when asked about the Cherries' relegation fight. "We know we have to come through a tough Christmas schedule and come back stronger next year."

Bournemouth face Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday before meeting Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday.