Sunday 1 January 2017 10:26, UK
Eddie Howe says Bournemouth's challenge is to improve on 2016 after their 3-0 win over Swansea put them in the top half of the Premier League.
Benik Afobe was brought in to lead the Cherries' attack in place of Joshua King after Howe's side suffered back-to-back defeats over Christmas, and scored just 25 minutes in at the Liberty Stadium.
Ryan Fraser doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time before substitute King came on to seal the win in the 88th minute and see Bournemouth climb to 10th place in the top flight.
"It was a good day," said Howe. "We played very well, I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.
"I thought the defence and the whole team really did work hard and really earned that clean sheet.
"We had a really good mentality. We passed the ball well and controlled the game, which is important when you come away from home. The biggest thing was that we took our chances when they came, which hasn't always been the case."
Bournemouth secured a top-10 finish last season having won the Championship title in the 2014-15 campaign.
Howe's side will begin 2017 with the visit of Arsenal on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, and the 39-year-old - who has been touted as a possible successor to Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium - has set Bournemouth a new challenge for the next 12 months after their 13th win of the calendar year saw them end 2016 in the top half.
"It's a lovely way to finish what has been a really good year for the football club," said Howe. "We stayed in the Premier League and we've had progression in our second season, which is sometimes the hardest.
"The key thing now is that we continue the momentum.
"We'd love to keep moving the team and the club forward into new waters. So that's the challenge."
