Loftus-Cheek keeps the ball at his foot inside the penalty area instead of hoofing clear after a Bournemouth corner which could have meant trouble for the Blues, but the Cherries waste yet another opportunity – which looks like it will be their last.
90'
The referee indicates an additional four minutes will be played at the end of the 90.
88'
L. Cook enters the game and replaces J. Lerma.
The final substitution of the day for Bournemouth is in midfield as Jefferson Lerma is removed in favour of Lewis Cook.
87'
Fraser centres a ball teasingly for a striker to latch onto but none are forthcoming. It would not have mattered anyways as there is a late flag for a harsh offside call on Fraser, who was adjudged to have made his run slightly early.
85'
E. Hazard has scored a goal for Chelsea! Assist by Marcos Alonso.
With five minutes to play, Marcos Alonso does manage to find himself on the score sheet, with his pass going down as an assist.
EDEN HAZARD DOUBLES THE LEAD! It’s as simple as can be, with Hazard getting into the area and finding Alonso with a pass, who waits for a second before slipping a return ball through the defence back to Hazard. From there, it’s a simple finish as Begovic doesn’t open his body wide enough. 2-0 Chelsea!
82'
Pedro should have done better from inside the area with his shot as he had no marker in his way. Loftus-Cheek does well to open up the space for Pedro but his low roller is an easy save for Begovic.
80'
L. Mousset enters the game and replaces J. King.
J. Ibe enters the game and replaces A. Smith.
A second switch at the same time for Bournemouth as Joshua King is removed for Lys Mousset.
Eddie Howe uses his first switch of the match, hoping Jordon Ibe will provide the necessary attacking impetus. Adam Smith is the man to make way.
79'
R. Loftus-Cheek enters the game and replaces M. Kovačić.
Chelsea's final substitution is in midfield as Mateo Kovacic is withdrawn in favour of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
78'
Giroud does well in his own penalty area as well to shield the ball from Rico and allow it to roll out for a Kepa goal-kick. He has been incredibly influential since coming on – forcing the Bournemouth defence to deal with a different kind of problem than the one Morata provides.
Minute
Description
76'
Fraser looks to get Bournemouth level after confusion in midfield allows the Bournemouth winger to run free. Upon entering the penalty area, David Luiz comes across to close down the angle forcing Fraser to attempt a curler – which goes horribly wide.
72'
Pedro has scored a goal for Chelsea! Assist by O. Giroud.
Olivier Giroud's assist must be what Sarri was envisioning when he sent on the France striker. His hold-up play and strength are assets, and his ability to interchange around the box is how this goal was fashioned. Fantastic work by the World Cup-winning attacker to play the role of set-up man.
PEDRO BREAKS THE DEADLOCK AND IT’S 1-0 CHELSEA! Marcos Alonso finds Pedro in front of the penalty area and the Spain winger plays a lovely, quick interchange with Giroud before taking a couple touches and dispatching a shot! The effort takes a slight deflection and squirms just out of Begovic’s reach and into the bottom corner! Chelsea lead!
70'
J. Lerma gets yellow.
Jefferson Lerma is shown a yellow card in his first Premier League start for a cynical foul in midfield in an attempt to break up play.
69'
Giroud attempts an audacious outside-of-the-foot volley with his weaker foot from outside the penalty area after a headed clearance falls to him, but the effort ricochets off of Pedro and out for a goal-kick.
67'
Adam Smith is incensed as Marcos Alonso physically interfered with the Bournemouth player taking a quick throw-in during a Bournemouth counter-attack. The referee chooses not to admonish the Chelsea player, even though Alonso has already been carded. Chelsea have seemingly gotten away with one there...
65'
Pedro enters the game and replaces Willian.
Pedro is on for Willian in Chelsea’s second substitution of the match as Maurizio Sarri searches for a way to win the match with less than 30 minutes to play.
63'
Sarri’s change seems a logical one. Bournemouth are allowing crosses to fly in from left and right, seemingly preferring that to the danger Chelsea possesses through the middle. The entrance of Giroud certainly signals the Chelsea manager’s willingness to go more physical in attack – as the France striker provides a stronger presence in the box.
61'
O. Giroud enters the game and replaces Álvaro Morata.
Alvaro Morata will watch the final half hour of the match from the comfort of the substitute’s bench as Maurizio Sarri opts to send Olivier Giroud on in his stead.
60'
Rico sends his in-swinging corner to the exact same place for Ake, but this time with much more lift, forcing Ake into an aerial duel with Kepa. The goalkeeper bobbles his catch but it won’t matter as the referee calls play to a stop for a foul on the Bournemouth centre-back.
58'
Ake steers Rico’s delivery over the bar somehow! The Bournemouth defender is unable to hit the target from less than six yards out as his volley is hit while leaning quite far back. That could have been the moment to put Bournemouth ahead!
56'
Rico delivers with his left foot and sends it to the far post but Alonso tracks Francis’ run and puts it out for a corner.
55'
N. Kanté gets yellow.
N’Golo Kante is shown a yellow card for stopping Callum Wilson’s mazy run towards goal illegally. Bournemouth have a free-kick in a dangerous central position.
54'
Lerma gives it to Hazard who is met by two markers on the left-hand side. He eventually fashions some room to tee Alonso up for a shot inside the area which he dispatches quickly, but Begovic’s reactions are timely and he parries the shot out of danger.
52'
With just under an hour played, Bournemouth’s defence remain resolute as Lerma goes into a strong sliding challenge which dispossess Kante and gives Chelsea yet another corner. Howe’s side have not given Chelsea any space with which to play. If the Blues are to earn three points today, they will have to earn it.
50'
Azpilicueta gets free on the right and looks for Morata with a cross but Begovic is wise to the danger and collects it easily before unleashing a thunderous throw which finds Smith at midfield.
48'
Hazard finds Willian with a cross at the far post after side-stepping two defenders but the referee stops play as Kovacic illegally blocked a defender from approaching Hazard. Bournemouth get a chance to clear with a free-kick inside their own penalty area.
46'
Bournemouth get the second half restarted from the kick-off!
45' +2
HALF TIME: CHELSEA 0-0 BOURNEMOUTH.
45' +1
ALONSO OFF THE POST! The full-back receives a pass in the penalty area from Hazard and takes a strike from the edge of the box through traffic. It looks to have taken a deflection before smashing off of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post, keeping the score level at zero.
45'
Jorginho sees his opportunity and beautifully flicks a pass over the top for Morata to chase in the penalty area. Steve Cook is up to the challenge of out-muscling the striker but its Begovic who ultimately wins as he steps off his line to grab the ball before the danger can escalate.
43'
Beautiful bit of skill from Alonso who masterfully retains the ball in the face of Smith whose high press attempts to pin the full-back deep in his own area. With that delightful step-over, Alonso is able to dribble into midfield and potentially start a Chelsea attack.
42'
Fraser takes Bournemouth’s first corner of the match but the imposing figure of Rudiger rises higher than the pack and smashes away the set-piece.
40'
With five minutes to play in the first half, both managers should be relatively happy. The 0-0 score line doesn’t accurately reflect the balance of play, but Chelsea have had few real goal-scoring opportunities despite their statistical dominance in other areas.
38'
Play is stopped momentarily as Willian is receiving treatment after Lerma caught him on the top of the foot during the Blues’ previous build-up play. He looks alright, but will need to go to the sideline before re-entering the match.
36'
Kovacic goes for a run and evades three markers before eventually having a strike at goal which is blocked via slide tackle. Willian takes the corner to the near post but Wilson does his defensive duty and heads clear.
34'
Cook gets a head to the long, searching free-kick but his inability to get any power behind it allows Kepa to make the chest-level save easily.
33'
Marcos Alonso gets yellow.
Marcos Alonso picks up Chelsea’s first card of the match – a yellow for a reckless challenge in midfield to stop a counter-attack.
31'
Kovacic picks up the loose ball and drives towards goal before finally setting his feet and having a shot at goal which is blocked heroically. The rebound drops to Kante but the defensive midfielder is unable to get turned round to shoot and Lerma pushes the ball away, forcing Chelsea to reset.
29'
Azpilicueta offers Morata a low, pacey cross directed at the penalty spot but Begovic is quick to drop to his knees and collect cleanly.
27'
Alonso is visible at both ends of the pitch as he does well to intercept Smith’s lay-off for Fraser which would have seen the full-back through on goal. Alonso is continuing his great form the start the season which earned him a nomination for Premier League Player of the Month.
25'
Willian sets up Alonso on the edge of the area with a perfectly weighted pass, but the defender closes down well and Alonso can only skew his shot wide of the right goal-post.
23'
Chelsea come close to scoring as Alonso fizzes a low cross into the area from the left which Ake clears first time from a position dangerously close to his own goal. The clearance gives Chelsea a corner which Willian takes with little curve, allowing Begovic to pick the ball out of the air.
21'
Willian, David Luiz and Marcos Alonso are all eying the set-piece but it's Alonso who strikes it. The full-back smashes his effort right into the wall and ricochets to another Cherries defender who hoofs the ball well clear of the goal.
20'
D. Gosling gets yellow.
Gosling takes one for the team and takes down Hazard just outside the penalty area after the diminutive Belgian’s slaloming run almost takes him in front of Begovic in the box. Gosling is shown a yellow card for his offence.
18'
Kovacic wins a corner but Chelsea are appealing for a corner after Adam Smith looks to have pushed the Chelsea midfielder in the penalty area – which the referee waives away instantly. Willian takes the corner short once again but Bournemouth deal with the initial threat.
16'
Bournemouth turn defence into attack and win a corner on the other end after David Luiz’s sloppy control in midfield allows the Cherries to win possession high. Cook takes a very long throw-in towards Gosling but he doesn’t hit the target with his volley.
14'
Chelsea are cycling the ball in midfield well, using well-defined triangles to move possession about and look for space in a compact Bournemouth defence. Can the Blues’ creative players fashion an opening?
10'
Ake puts in a great recovery slide to tap the ball away from Hazard who continues to lurk around the edge of the area. Willian’s in-swinger is met by Rudiger who heads his effort high and wide.
8'
Play is stopped as Begovic is requiring treatment after apparently taking David Luiz’s knee to the face during the corner routine. He looks okay to continue, but that must have hurt quite a bit. Brave goalkeeping from the former Chelsea reserve shot-stopper.
7'
Ake goes with Kante who steams forward towards goal and the defender pokes the ball away from him and out for a corner. The set-piece is taken short which tees up Willian from an acute angle, but Begovic gets down well to block.
5'
David Luiz sprays a great lifted pass for Willian but debutante Rico gets his body in the way and boots the ball clear.
3'
Fraser cuts a ball across the face of goal after Kovacic gives possession away just outside his penalty area. The pass doesn’t reach Wilson however and Kepa can take a goal-kick to restart play.
2'
Francis deals with a ball over-the-top played for Morata who uses his strength well to give himself a chance to get on the end of the pass. Ultimately, Azpilicueta restarts play from a throw-in.
1'
Chelsea get the match underway from the kick-off!
Good afternoon and welcome to Stamford Bridge for our LIVE commentary of the Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Bournemouth.
It's only been three games, but Sarri’s Chelsea seems to be coming together swimmingly. A trio of wins on the bounce and a goal differential of +5 leave the Blues tied for top spot with Liverpool, Tottenham and surprise-package Watford.
Despite a relatively quiet transfer window, Eddie Howe – the Premier League’s longest-serving manager – has imbued his side with positivity and attacking intent. Bournemouth has scored two goals in all three Premier League matches this season, which hopefully indicated a match laden with goal-mouth action.
Bournemouth continued their fantastic start to the season midweek with a 3-0 thrashing of MK Dons at the Vitality stadium in the League Cup. The Cherries have begun their fourth year in the Premier League undefeated. Last week’s massive comeback draw against Everton secured their seventh point in three matches.
Typical of a Sarri side, goals have come from everywhere as six different players have netted Chelsea’s seven strikes so far – Pedro leading the lot with two. This is not unfamiliar for the former Napoli manager who had 15 players contribute to the Partenopei's second-best 77 league goals in the 2017-2018 season.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been confirmed! Let's start with the home side!
Chelsea Starting XI (4-3-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso; N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic; Willian, Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard.
Chelsea substitutes: Olivier Giroud, Pedro, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Willy Caballero, Davide Zappacosta, Andreas Christensen.
Bournemouth Starting XI (4-4-2): Asmir Begovic; Diego Rico, Nathan Ake, Steve Cook, Simon Francis; Ryan Fraser, Jefferson Lerma, Dan Gosling, Adam Smith; Callum Wilson, Joshua King.
Bournemouth substitutes: Artur Boruc, Tyrone Mings, Andrew Surman, Jordon Ibe, Lewis Cook, Lys Mousset, David Brooks.
Sarri only makes one change from the side that beat Newcastle 2-1 last weekend, with Pedro dropped to the bench in favour of Willian.
Eddie Howe makes three changes to the side that drew a point with Everton in their last league fixture. Adam Smith is unavailable due to a red card so Diego Rico takes his place. Simon Francis takes the place of Ryan Fraser, which drops Simon Francis into the wing-back role. In midfield, new signing Jefferson Lerma gets his first Premier League start, replacing Andrew Surman in midfield.
The majority of play that flowed towards Kepa’s goal was through counter-attacks as David Luiz has looked shaky both positionally and on the ball. His misplaced pass allowed Callum Wilson in on one occasion; lucky for the Brazilian defender that the Bournemouth striker was without options. If Eddie Howe is looking to take all three points from Stamford Bridge, his side will have to be much more adventurous and confident in the second half.
Marcos Alonso has been the driving force for this Chelsea side in the first period of play, constantly appearing in both defensive and attacking settings, putting in goal-saving tackles as well as striking the post just before the half-time whistle. He has been instrumental, and it would not be surprising to see him pop up on the score sheet.
It has been a first half in which Bournemouth have offered very little in terms of attack. Chelsea’s possession and crisp passing has pinned the Cherries in their own half for large periods of time. Jefferson Lerma has had his hands full in midfield, with Kovacic and Hazard looking dangerous and creative every time they’re on the ball.
It wasn’t easy, but it’s a deserved three points for Chelsea who have now won their first four matches on the bounce. Bournemouth remained resolute defensively into the final 10 minutes, but Maurizio Sarri’s substitutions changed the entire course of the match, with two (Giroud and Pedro) combining for the winning goal.
That concludes our coverage of the Premier League fixture between Chelsea and Bournemouth! We hope you enjoyed the commentary and see you all again soon!
Chelsea look to make it five on the bounce next Saturday as they play hosts to Cardiff City, while Bournemouth have a chance to rebound from their first loss of the season at home against Leicester City.
Eddie Howe can be happy with how his side remained compact and close together, but in the end the opposition quality shone through. For all their great work at the back, Bournemouth showed precious little going forward. Callum Wilson and Joshua King were kept exceptionally quiet by Rudiger and David Luiz – the latter of which remained unexposed despite some shaky defending in the first half.
Commentary
More…