Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has claimed that Manchester United's opening goal against them altered the feel of the game.

The Cherries went on to concede more as they recorded a 3-1 defeat to Jose Mourinho's side at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.

Juan Mata opened the scoring, but he was helped along by Simon Francis after the defender under-hit a back-pass to his goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

The Spanish midfielder took a shot, which was initially saved by Boruc, but the ball bounced off Francis and back into Mata's path and the 28-year-old made no mistake in his second attempt.

"The game was on a knife-edge until the first goal," Howe told reporters. "The way the goal's come about was a hard one to take, because it looked as though we'd got away with the mistake, and then for the unlucky ricochet we concede.

"And that moment's tough, when you give a team like Manchester United the lead."

Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic also scored for United, while Adam Smith netted a consolation goal for the Cherries.