Howe calls Toon 'unrecognisable' after Bournemouth loss

Eddie Howe labelled his Newcastle side "unrecognisable" after they fell to a limp 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.

Dominic Solanke's second-half brace sealed a precious three points for the Cherries against a depleted Magpies side missing 11 players through injuries and suspensions.

The visitors' woes were compounded when Miguel Almiron limped off in the first half, with Howe forced to end the match with 18-year-old debutant Ben Parkinson as a lone forward.

Failing to beat his old club for a third league match in a row, the Toon boss said: "It was a game where we couldn't be where we needed to be for it and it was a tough watch. We were unrecognisable today.

"It was a real off day. There are reasons but I don't want to sit here and make excuses. I want to support the players."

Videos of Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier in heated discussions with travelling fans quickly circulated on social media after full-time.

However, his manager played down the incident, citing the England defender's reaction as nothing to be concerned about.

Howe said: "Kieran is fine. Emotions run high.

"We all feel a bit emotional after that from our perspective. We value all our away support, we value them greatly. We thank them for their support."

While Newcastle will view the international break as a precious period of recovery, Bournemouth will be chomping at the bit for the return of domestic action.

Having been winless in their first nine Premier League fixtures, the Cherries have now won two out of three and face struggling Sheffield United after the two-week hiatus.

Andoni Iraola was delighted with his players' performance, singling out special praise for two-goal hero Solanke.

Iraola said: "I think we really deserved this win. 

"We played well and had good chances. Luckily we finished the job in the second half.

"Dom has been very good for us. On the ball and off the ball, he helps his team-mates. 

"He missed chances in the first half but cleared his mind and continued playing the same way, which was impressive."