Chelsea’s fading Premier League title aspirations took another blow as the Blues slumped to a 0–0 draw away at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The tone for the first half was set early on as Antoine Semenyo saw a goal ruled out for offside. The Cherries were comfortably dominant in the first 45, preventing Chelsea from managing a single shot on target.
Chelsea managed to turn the tide somewhat in the second half and hit the post through Alejandro Garnacho but, in truth, the Blues did not offer anywhere near enough to deserve more than a point from this one.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—8.5: An excellent save kept Chelsea level shortly before the break as Sánchez rose to the challenges sent his way.
RB: Malo Gusto—8.1: Buzzed around in plenty of different positions, popping up in midfield and attack, but rarely showed the required quality to make an impact. An excellent challenge to deny Alex Scott midway through the second half.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—7.5: Very busy defensively and undoubtedly impressed on that side of the ball, but his work in possession left a little to be desired as the Blues struggled to deal with Bournemouth’s press.
CB: Wesley Fofana—7.9: Needed every ounce of his recovery pace to keep up with Bournemouth’s speedy forward line. A handful of nervy moments but nothing that caused any real problems.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.2: Solid defensively but a source of frustration in attack. Given plenty of freedom to drift from his position but looked like a passenger in the final third.
DM: Reece James—7.1: Didn’t get the chance to involve himself going forwards as he spent most of his afternoon operating as defensive cover.
DM: Enzo Fernández—7.0: Involved in a lot but usually kept things safe with his passing. The work rate was there but Fernández rarely looked like creating anything of note.
RM: Pedro Neto—7.1: After a quiet first half in which every pass towards him went astray, Neto was lively after the break as he sought to maintain his recent form.
AM: Cole Palmer—7.6: Chelsea were happy to turn to their talisman but Palmer’s long spell on the sidelines was evident here. Rusty in the first half but was threatening to find his feet before being withdrawn.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho—6.7: Not involved as much as he would have liked but was at least bright on the rare occasions he did find himself with the ball at his feet.
ST: Liam Delap—5.7: Found himself locked in a physical battle with Marcos Senesi from which he emerged second-best. A tussle with the Bournemouth defender left him with a nasty shoulder injury which ended his afternoon after just 30 minutes.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Marc Guiu (31’ for Delap) | 6.6 |
| João Pedro (58’ for Palmer) | 6.5 |
| Estêvão (77’ for Garnacho) | 5.7 |
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Benoît Badiashile, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Đorđe Petrović; Adam Smith, Bafodé Diakité, Marcos Senesi, Adrien Truffert; Alex Scott, Marcus Tavernier; Álex Jiménez, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo; Evanilson.
Subs used: James Hill, David Brooks, Amine Adli, Enes Ünal.
Player of the Match: Robert Sánchez
Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea: How it Unfolded at Vitality Stadium
Chelsea’s quest to respond to their 3–1 defeat to Leeds United last time out nearly got off to a nightmare start when Antoine Semenyo was wheeling away in celebration inside four minutes. The Ghanaian had crashed home from close range but a lengthy VAR check ultimately decided teammate Evanilson was in an offside position.
Defensive nerves were clear during an ugly start to the game for the Blues, who needed around 10 minutes to settle themselves. Marc Cucurella headed Chelsea’s first half-sight of goal over the bar.
Striker Liam Delap was forced off 30 minutes in with a shoulder injury picked up in a battle with Marcos Senesi, shortly before Bournemouth came perilously close to an opener. Semenyo’s low strike was saved into the path of Evanilson at the back post, but the pace of the ball left him unable to control his diving effort.
Robert Sánchez was needed for an excellent save in the dying embers of a first half in which Chelsea failed to muster a single shot on target.
Marcus Tavenier dragged wide inside the first 90 seconds of the second half, before Chelsea’s first shot on target arrived soon after. A low drive from the edge of the penalty area drew a firm hand from former Blue Đorđe Petrović.
Moments later, Alejandro Garnacho headed against the post and both Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer brought saves out of Petrović as Chelsea tried to finally stamp their authority on proceedings.
As the game entered its final 20 minutes, Garnacho had his head in his hands after a fierce strike from range swerved the wrong side of Petrović’s post. Both sides still had hopes of getting a winner, but neither were asking any real questions of their opposing goalkeepers.
Fernández lashed over from range late on with a sloppy effort which summed up the overall quality of Chelsea’s attacking play in a truly forgettable game.
Bournemouth vs. Chelsea Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Bournemouth | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 35% | 65% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.22 | 0.22 |
| Total Shots | 10 | 3 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 0 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 66% | 83% |
| Fouls Committed | 9 | 5 |
| Corners | 3 | 0 |
Bournemouth vs. Chelsea Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Bournemouth | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 39% | 61% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.37 | 0.88 |
| Total Shots | 13 | 11 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 4 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 69% | 83% |
| Fouls Committed | 15 | 13 |
| Corners | 5 | 0 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Bournemouth: Blues Fall Further Behind in Title Race.
