Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe acknowledged Gabriele Angella’s red card inside the opening minute of tonight’s game must have been “a bitter pill to swallow” for Watford and questioned whether Callum Wilson would have received the ball even if the striker had not been fouled.

Angella fouled Wilson just 25 seconds into tonight’s Championship clash and was wrongly sent off by referee Lee Probert, with Watford defender Craig Cathcart covering and the ball rolling through to goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.

League-leaders Bournemouth went on to win 2-0 and increased the gap between themselves and Watford in sixth place to seven points, when a win for the Hornets would have cut the gap to just a solitary point.

Howe admitted: “I would be disappointed [if I was Watford manager]. The timing of the sending off must be a bitter pill to swallow because the game has just started and both teams were looking forward to what would have been a really good battle and tussle between two really good footballing sides and the contest changed in that moment.

“For me, was Callum ever going to catch that ball?

“I’m not sure how high the tackle was or why the referee produced the red card but I think I would be disappointed with the timing and whether Callum would have got to it.”

He added: “It is a difficult one for the referee because it is so early in the match and he had to make a big call. But he took his time on the decision and he didn’t produce the red card rashly. He obviously thought about it and maybe consulted with his linesman, I don’t know, and come up with a decision which changed the game.

“We were nervy starters in the game, there is no denying that, and it was almost like playing against ten men added a pressure to us and we didn’t really respond to that as well as we hoped. The goal settled us down and the second half was really enjoyable to watch.”

Bournemouth work on playing against ten men in training and he described Watford’s shape as excellent and admitted it was difficult to break them down, whilst also fearing the counter attack.

Howe added he thought Daniel Pudil should have been sent off late in the game for a tackle which, in his words, “almost ripped Eunan O’Kane’s shin in half”.

The former Burnley boss stressed the importance of his players concentrating on their performance in training every day and not on automatic promotion.

Howe doesn’t mind his side being looked at as ‘little old Bournemouth’ but says there is pressure from the club internally to challenge at the top of the table.

However, he did add: “From where this club has come from to where it is now, I would like to think everyone can enjoy these moments and not take them for granted because we just beat Watford at home and if you go back a few years that would not have been possible. So we are in a good place.”

Read a match report from tonight's game here.