Chelsea and Bournemouth played to a frustrating 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, ending Chelsea’s recent scoring streak. In a game where the home team had better chances, Enzo Maresca’s team had trouble getting into a rhythm in the last third.
The Blues owed a lot to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who made essential saves to stop Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson from scoring, making sure the visitors left the south coast with a point.
The result keeps Chelsea in the top four, but it shows they still need to work on breaking down formidable defenses away from home. The defense held strong after an early scare when a goal was ruled out, but the attack wasn’t as fluid as usual. Liam Delap was taken out early, and returning star Cole Palmer couldn’t change the course of the game.
Here are the ratings for Chelsea players after their draw with Bournemouth:
Chelsea player ratings
Robert Sanchez: 7
The Spanish goalie was Chelsea’s best player. He made an important save to stop Antoine Semenyo in the first half and was ready to block a dangerous shot that Evanilson took. He was in charge of the area the whole time, confidently taking crosses to ease the pressure on his backline.
Malo Gusto: 6
Gusto was a good defender and a reliable option on the right side. In the second half, he made a crucial sliding tackle to stop Alex Scott, which likely prevented a goal. His passing was clean, which helped Chelsea keep the ball.
Wesley Fofana: 7
Fofana looked sharp and aggressive when he came back to the starting lineup. He stepped out of defense well to start attacks and won his one-on-one fights. His speed of recovery helped him against Bournemouth’s quick breaks.
Trevoh Chalobah: 5
The defender had a rough afternoon, but he was lucky that VAR stepped in after he made a mistake that led to Semenyo’s disallowed goal. He seemed nervous around the Bournemouth press at times and had trouble dealing with the physicality of the home team’s forwards.
Marc Cucurella: 6
The full-back was busy on the left and pushed up high to help the attack. He had a good chance to score, but he couldn’t aim his header at the goal. He did well on defense, but Bournemouth’s direct running sometimes got the best of him.
Reece James: 6
The captain played a disciplined game in midfield next to Enzo Fernández. He passed the ball well, but he didn’t make the fast, driving runs that are typical of him when he plays wider.
Enzo Fernandez: 5
The Argentine struggled to control the pace of the game against a Bournemouth midfield full of energy. He did force a save in the second half, but he didn’t have much of an effect and couldn’t get through the other team’s defense with his usual passing range.
Pedro Neto: 7
Neto was the best player in Chelsea’s attack. He always tried to get past his man, and he sent in the best cross of the match for Alejandro Garnacho, who hit the post.
Cole Palmer: 5
Palmer looked understandably rusty since this was his first start since September. He had a hard time finding space in the pockets he usually controls, and he was unusually loose with the ball. He was taken out of the game a little before the hour mark to continue his match fitness.
Alejandro Garnacho: 5
The winger didn’t do much, but he came closest to scoring for Chelsea when his header hit the outside of the post early in the second half. He had trouble making a difference in the game after that and was eventually replaced.
Liam Delap: 4
The young striker struggled with his temper and was taken off after just 32 minutes for a shoulder injury.
Substitutes
Marc Guiu: 5
Delap’s exit brought Guiu in early. His movement was good, but at the most important time, he couldn’t finish.
Joao Pedro: 5
Came on for Palmer to give the team some fresh legs, but Bournemouth sat back and made it hard to change the flow of the game.
Estevao: 5
The Brazilian kid came on late for Garnacho, but he didn’t have much time to make a difference.