Bournemouth have been given a wake-up call according to skipper Simon Francis after they were beaten 2-0 away to struggling Middlesbrough.

The Cherries had been on a good run including their biggest-ever Premier League victory, 6-1 over Hull City, but were brought back down to earth with a bump.

It was another example of Bournemouth’s struggles on their travels this season, with just two points from five games so far, a turnaround from last season where they picked up more points on the road than at home.

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Francis said: “It’s strange, last season we were struggling at home and doing well away and it’s a complete reverse so far.

“We need to try and find a balance, it’s a bit of a wake-up call.

“The fans came a long, long way and turned out in thousands as they do – it’s really disappointing we couldn’t get a result for them.”

Meanwhile manager Eddie Howe admitted that the team probably needed a reality check and wants his charges to learn from it.

He added: “It’s a lesson learned for us and possibly an experience we needed to go through.

“We’re not quite as good as we think we are, and we have to go back and work extremely hard to get anything in this league.”

Beating Bournemouth 2-0 at the Riverside was a huge boost to Middlesbrough’s Premier League campaign, but Aitor Karanka insists seeing the return of Grant Leadbitter will prove more pivotal still.

The 30-year-old midfielder had not featured for ‘Boro since their return to the Premier League, but appeared just after the hour mark to help see out a 2-0 win inspired by the man he replaced – Gaston Ramirez.

Leadbitter had hernia surgery at the end of last season but complications in his recovery meant he missed the entirety of pre-season and is only just working his way back to fitness.

His road to recovery continued against Newcastle Under-23s as he completed 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss to their fierce rivals

“I said always how important he is for the team,” the Spaniard said.

“Even when he was injured, he was travelling with the team, and you can feel his character on the pitch and in the changing room.

(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

“Now with him training and playing it is a massive and important thing for us.

“It’s always a positive experience to get onto the football pitch with a recognised first team player, especially with a player of Grant Leadbitter’s calibre.

“It is great experience for the players, Grant is a fantastic player as well as the club captain.”

Andre Gray’s four-game ban for a series of abusive tweets may have damaged his reputation, but the Burnley striker is desperate to let his goals do the talking from now on.

The 25-year-old, who played a key role as the Clarets returned to the Premier League last season, was banned for a series of tweets from 2012 and missed crucial games against the likes of Leicester City and Arsenal.

Burnley hardly struggled in his absence, picking up home wins against Watford and Everton, but with only Sunderland finding the net fewer times than Sean Dyche’s men, they need their main striker to quickly find his scoring touch.

Gray made his return in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Manchester United and with important games against bottom-half sides Crystal Palace and West Brom on the horizon, he is working hard to get back in the groove.

“I’m glad it’s over with,” he said.

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“It’s obviously a long time ago now so it’s been frustrating. It is what it is at the end of the day so I’ve just got to get on with it and keep my head down.

“I’ve come here to play football, play at the highest level, so it was just another bump in the road. It’s over with now and I’m just going to move on with my career.

“It’s been difficult. It’s hard because you want to be playing. I’ve just kept my head down really, tried to stay fit and just got on with it.”

Watford starlet Reece Stray is knocking on the door of the first-team and the precocious 17-year-old believes he can become Vicarage Road’s very own Jack Wilshere given time.

The attacking midfielder has been receiving regular appearances under Harry Kewell in Watford’s Under-23 side after signing a two-year scholarship contract over the summer.

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Stray, who has been at the club since he was an eight-year-old, now wants to mirror the rise of England international Wilshere, who made his Arsenal debut at the age of 16 years and 256 days.

“When I was younger Steven Gerrard was someone I looked up to on the pitch, but now I’d say I like to emulate Jack Wilshere’s game,” Stray told Watford’s official match programme, The Hornet.

“He picks the ball up deep and then drives forward and plays one-twos in and around the box and scores a few goals too.

“I’m not the most vocal, but when I’m on the ball I drive forward and make challenges. Breaking up play and playing passes is my biggest strength on the pitch. I run a lot when I play, and I’m determined to win the ball back.

“My team-mates would say that I’m aggressive and that I like a tackle. They know not to annoy me though and I moan at them when they’re not doing well enough!”

It took Vincent Janssen ten games to notch his first Premier League goal for Tottenham but team-mate Dele Alli is adamant the striker will now go on a goalscoring streak.

The Dutchman joined from AZ Alkmaar for £17million over the summer and despite scoring two EFL Cup goals, it took until Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City for him to grab a first in the league.

The marksman’s effort came from the penalty spot, after he was fouled in the box by Robert Huth, and Alli wasn’t surprised with the way Janssen finally ended his drought.

“He loves a penalty. As soon as it was given I knew he was going to run after the ball and everyone was confident he was going to put it away,” said Alli.

“He’s a great player, it was only a matter of time before he got his first goal in the Premier League and now hopefully he can get some more.”

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Despite Janssen’s penalty on the stroke of half-time, Ahmed Musa equalised for Leicester soon after the break as the Foxes earned their first away point in the Premier League this season.

That means Spurs are still unbeaten in the league but have now drawn three games in a row.

Alli – who hit the crossbar in the first half – claims the squad knew Leicester would provide a physical test but believes they equipped themselves admirably.

“We didn’t get pushed about, it’s important that we stand up for ourselves and I think no-one was going to shy away from a tackle which is key for us,” added the England international.

“It wasn’t easy but we knew what they were going to bring so it was important that we stuck to our game plan and performed well.

“It was important that we didn’t get carried away and get brought into how they wanted the game to be. I think we did that but again it was just a case of not being clinical in the final third.”

Ander Herrera admits that Manchester United’s goalless draw with Burnley last weekend was one of the toughest days of his career.

But the Spaniard insists there is no point in bemoaning their bad luck, and instead has urged his teammates to let their football do the talking.

Herrera received a red card during the draw against the Clarets at Old Trafford as Jose Mourinho’s side failed to break the deadlock despite having 37 shots.

But the 27-year-old is confident he and his teammates can turn the ship around.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I was speaking with Juan [Mata] and we both agreed we have never experienced something like that on the pitch.

“We created 20 or 22 chances, we controlled the game for 90 minutes and to not score is unbelievable. We had the luck against us and hopefully, one day, we can get a fair result like a 5-0 or 6-0 win.

“I didn’t want to make both of the fouls, I’m not a violent player. First yellow card, I bent my knee and didn’t want to kick the opponent. The second, I slipped.

“The dressing room was completely disappointed because of the way we played. We have to keep our heads up because we’ve done a lot of good things.

“We have to keep going, we cannot cry or complain. We just have to keep playing the way we did today, against Liverpool, Stoke and Fenerbahce.

“I think we are in the right way but today was one of the toughest days of my career because we deserved to win 6-0 but it was difficult.

“We want to fight for everything. I don’t know if a team has been unlucky as we have been in this game.”

Antonio Conte’s deployment of wing-backs has been a revelation this season for Chelsea, and the Blues boss admits he is delighted with the way his charges have adapted to his philosophy.

Since switching to a back three after the 3-0 humbling by Arsenal at the end of November, with four players in midfield, Chelsea have not conceded in the Premier League.

Clean sheets against Hull City, Leicester City, Manchester United and Southampton yielded 12 points in a dream October for Conte’s side.

Playing with David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta across the back, the door has been open on the flanks for players who have previously taken a back seat at Chelsea – with Victor Moses, new signing Marcos Alonso, Pedro, and even academy starlet Ola Aina all catching the eye.

And Conte is thrilled with the variety of talent at his disposal on the wings.

“This role is very important in this system,” he said. “You must have good stamina and quality to play as wing-backs.

Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have impressed for Chelsea (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

“I ask my wing-backs to do offensive and defensive work. Moses is a great surprise in this aspect. We know Moses as a winger, but he’s playing in a fantastic way.

“Also Alonso, it wasn’t easy to go in to the English league and play in this way, and I’m pleased.

“In this role, Pedro also can play, in the same way as Moses. Ivanovic or Aina can play a more defensive role as wing-back.

“We created many chances, and also for four games we have kept clean sheets. It means our confidence is increasing.

“The players deserve this. I see them every day, the way they are working. It’s important to arrive at this type of result because they can trust the work more, but we know the road is long and it’s important to continue to work very hard to improve.”

Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is confident Swansea City can use their experience from last year to pull themselves out of the relegation battle.

The midfielder was captain in the Swans’ 3-1 defeat to Stoke on Monday night as Wilfried Bony and Joe Allen returned to haunt their former club on Halloween.

Last year, the Swans went through a period of just one win in 11 games but turned it around in the New Year picking up 21 points in 12 games.

And those lessons will be vital for the Swans again this season according to Sigurdsson as they sit 19^th in the Premier League five points adrift of safety.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“We can learn from the position we were in last year,” he said.

“With the position we were in last December, we managed to turn it around with some good results. We know that when we pick up a good result we can use that and get a run going.

“Last season we went on a run without a win for quite a long while. But as soon as we won a game it gave us confidence and we kicked on from there.

“But you look to your next game and concentrate on that. It’s Manchester United at home next, and we must have an immediate reaction.”

Mark Hughes has high expectations of Stoke City star Wilfried Bony after the striker bagged his first two goals for the club following a tough start to life in the Potteries.

Bony arrived on loan from Manchester City in the summer transfer window, but failed to live up to his billing during a sluggish first few games.

Reports had suggested that the 27-year-old had become a disruptive influence off the pitch, which contributed to the club’s woeful start to the season, but Hughes is adamant the Ivorian has settled in well.

And after netting twice against Swansea, Hughes has warned the rest of the Premier League that many more will follow as the club continues to rise up the table.

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“I think his general play has been really good over the past few weeks, and all his game was missing was a goal or two to his name,” he said.

“Thankfully he is up and running now, and, if my memory serves me right, he had a similar period when he joined Swansea when he wasn’t able to find his feet in the Premier League as quickly as he would have liked.

“Once he did manage to score though he couldn’t stop after that and hopefully history starts to repeat itself again here over the coming weeks and months.”

Liverpool can not rely solely on perfect performances to win games, according to manager Jurgen Klopp.

The German’s side bounced back from twice losing a lead to Crystal Palace in Saturday’s late game, eventually pulling away to a 4-2 victory.

And Klopp was pleased to see his side’s increased resilience this season, which has propelled them to third in the table, level on points with leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Reds’ enigmatic manager knows that if his side are to continue to challenge at the summit of the Premier League standings, they will need to continue their ability to win ugly.

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“That’s how football should be,” he said. “You cannot only win the perfect games. You have to win all the other games too.

“We showed a few things which I’m really happy with and a few things I knew before we had to work on.

“At the beginning of the second half, Crystal Palace tried everything – not really clear but made kind of pressure. We didn’t play football. We tried to shout from outside ‘Please play football again’.

“When we did that, we had our moments and scored a wonderful fourth goal. All good.

“So we don’t have to make too big a thing of the good things we did, and we don’t have to make a big thing of the not-so-good things we did.”