Chelsea vs Bournemouth Review
Jordan Henderson scored his first goal for Chelsea as they overwhelmed Bournemouth 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, keeping the Blues unbeaten in their last five home competitive matches (four wins, one draw) and prolonging Bournemouth’s quest for their first Premier League victory under Marco Rose (three draws, three losses). Although Bournemouth had taken the lead in four of their previous five league games, that was not the case here, as Xabi Alonso’s team put them under pressure within the first three minutes.
Cole Palmer played a key role in the opening goal, carrying the ball halfway down the pitch before passing to Henderson, who curled a first-time shot into the net off the post after just 64 seconds. Chelsea fans had more to celebrate shortly after when Morgan Rogers received the ball just inside the box and curled a shot past former Chelsea goalkeeper Djorde Petrovic, with a slight deflection off Antonio Silva’s head helping the ball in.
Having allowed a league-high 12 goals and failing to keep a clean sheet in 21 Premier League games dating back to last season, Chelsea supporters were aware that much improvement was needed. Although they dominated much of the first half, Rayan had a chance to reduce the deficit when he broke through the defense, but Emiliano Martinez’s quick reaction denied him just nine minutes before halftime. That save proved crucial, as within a minute after the break, Chelsea caught Bournemouth off guard once more when Pedro Neto slipped past his fellow countryman Silva and passed to Joao Pedro, who fired the ball into the top corner.
Nevertheless, for the 14th time in the league since last season began, a league-high, the Blues conceded a goal from a set-piece inside their six-yard box when Evanilson extended his leg to block Caicedo’s clearance, redirecting the ball into the net for his first league goal in 16 matches. The Cherries seemed to have a chance to stay in the game, but after a brief period of optimism, any hope of a comeback quickly disappeared. Joao Pedro scored his second goal by perfectly timing his run into the box and finishing first-time from Pep Chavarria’s sharp pass.
Shortly after, Henderson also netted his second goal of the match by curling in a direct free-kick. These goals understandably deflated the visitors, who were unable to respond further. Following a heavy 3-0 loss to Brentford before the international break, this convincing win ends a streak of three league games without a victory, extending their unbeaten run against this opponent to ten matches (five wins, five draws) and moving them up to fifth place for now. Meanwhile, 17th-placed Bournemouth will now focus on their first-ever European home game against Sturm Graz, providing an opportunity to gain some momentum.
