SCOTT Parker enthused how “clever” and “diligent” Cherries earned their 2-0 win over Aston Villa via dead ball situations.

Set-piece goals from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore were more than enough to see Cherries pick up three points.

Lerma smashed home after Lloyd Kelly knocked down a Tavernier corner in the first half, and Cherries’ captain again served as a middle man for the second strike.

He recycled Tavernier’s cleared free-kick back into the box, allowing Moore to head home and make sure of the result.

Set plays have apparently been a focal point of Cherries’ recent training sessions, according to Parker.

Speaking after the game, Cherries’ head coach told the Daily Echo: “We’ve worked very hard on our set-plays in pre-season. Try to be taken up a level and be dominant in them.

“It was pleasing we executed that in terms of what we did.

“I thought overall, in terms of what I asked for the team in our setup defensively, I thought we were incredible really.

“The players took every bit of the information we have given them over the past six weeks and more detail around this game in terms of what we were going to need to do.”

Parker also heaped on praise the defensive efforts of his charges, stating: “I thought they were diligent in everything they did, showed real desire at times, crisis defending at times when we needed to be.”

“Bodies on the line and a real organisation about us where we were calculated, we were clever in our times.

“We showed different speeds in terms of being a low-ish block but then into we could be progressive and try to inject speed and put them under pressure.

“There are certainly elements we need to improve on in possession, there were areas we need to get better at.

“We’re still really early stages, so overall I was pleased.”