Howe wins March prize

Eddie Howe has been named the Barclays Manager of the Month for March.

The Cherries went on an unbeaten run in the month - winning two and drawing one of their three Premier League games - to climb to 11th in the table, nine points clear of the relegation zone.

After holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, Bournemouth defeated West Ham 3-2 before a 2-0 victory over Swansea for their first back-to-back wins in the league since March 2016.

Howe beat Crystal Palace’s Sam Allardyce, Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Tottenham Hotspur’s Mauricio Pochettino and Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare to be named Manager of the Month.

"It feels really good. It was such an important month for us," Howe said. "The fact we were able to pick up seven points and go unbeaten means everything to us at this moment." 

Meanwhile, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has been named the EA Sports Player of the Month.

Lukaku scored in the 3-2 defeat at Tottenham before scoring and providing an assist in the 3-0 win over West Brom. He brought his tally for the month to four as he scored twice in Everton's win over Hull to move to the top of the Premier League scoring charts.

Bournemouth's Artur Boruc and Joshua King, athan Redmond of Southampton, Crystal Palace's Mamadou Sakho and Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum had also been shortlisted for the prize but Lukaku was the choice of a panel of experts, Premier League captains and fans.

"I'm really happy. It gives me another boost. I'm playing well at the minute and the team is doing really well," Lukaku said. 

Leinster's European Champions Cup quarter-final against Wasps on Saturday is live on BT Sport 2, which is available as part of the eir Sport pack.