Chelsea’s problems at Stamford Bridge continued on Tuesday when they drew 2-2 with Bournemouth in what was arguably a crazy Premier League game. All four goals were scored in the first 30 minutes of the game, and Enzo Maresca’s team once again paid the price for being weak at set pieces.
David Brooks scored for Bournemouth in the sixth minute (5:58), making it the earliest a visiting team had scored at Chelsea in the Premier League since December 2020. The Cherries took advantage of Chelsea’s weakness on long throws in the first half.
Brooks was the first to react and tap in the rebound after Robert Sanchez saved his first header. The home team quickly responded from the penalty spot after a lengthy intervention from VAR, following Antoine Semenyo’s tackle on Estevao. Cole Palmer scored to make it 1-1, bringing his total of Premier League penalties to 14 since his debut in September 2023.
Chelsea then seemed to be in charge when Enzo Fernandez scored a stunning goal into the top-right corner to give the Blues the lead in his 100th Premier League game. The Argentine midfielder’s milestone goal showcased his technical skill as he fired a great shot past the Bournemouth goalkeeper to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead in the middle of the first half.
But problems with the defense on long throws came back almost right away. Justin Kluivert jumped on the ball at the back post after Trevoh Chalobah could only flick it into a dangerous area.
No goals in the second half
The second half had fewer scoring chances, but it was still interesting. After the break, Chelsea teenager Estevao became the Blues’ biggest attacking threat. He kept moving around the front line and making Bournemouth’s defense work hard to stop him. Enes Unal, who came on as a substitute, almost scored the winning goal in stoppage time, but his volley went over the crossbar at the last second.
The underlying statistics showed the contest was open, with Bournemouth edging Chelsea in the expected-goals metric, 2.83 to 2.43. Chelsea is now in fifth place with 30 points. Before this game, the Blues had only won one of their last six Premier League games.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, went 10 Premier League games without a win for the first time in a single season. However, the point puts them further away from the danger of relegation. Chelsea’s next game is a big one against Manchester City, and Bournemouth’s next game is at home against Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium.