Chelsea players huddle together before the match
Chelsea players huddle together before the match
Chelsea returned from the international break as Xabi Alonso’s side swept Bournemouth aside with a 5-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had gone three Premier League matches without a win, but those nerves disappeared inside three minutes.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso reacts
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso reacts
Jordan Henderson opened the scoring after Cole Palmer carried the ball forward and found the veteran midfielder, whose finish gave Djordje Petrovic little chance.
Bournemouth had barely recovered before Morgan Rogers added the second.
Pedro Neto’s effort was kept out by Petrovic, but Rogers reacted quickly and produced a clever finish to double the lead.
Chelsea controlled the remainder of the first half without adding to the score. Alonso then saw his team make another flying start after the interval, with Neto supplying Joao Pedro for an emphatic third goal.
||
|Chelsea 5-1 Bournemouth - match stats|
|Total|Chelsea|Bournemouth|
|---|
|Possession|49.9%|50.1%|
|Total shots|10|9|
|Shots on target|6|4|
|Blocked shots|2|2|
|Corners|1|7|
|Total passes|475|459|
|Accurate passes|399|386|
|Pass accuracy|84%|84%|
|Fouls|7|14|
|Offsides|1|0|
|Saves|3|1|
|Yellow cards|0|4|
|Red cards|0|0|
Evanilson reduced Bournemouth’s deficit from a corner and the visitors briefly threatened to make the afternoon uncomfortable.
Chelsea had lost some control and were allowing Marco Rose’s side to spend too much time around their penalty area.
Joao Pedro restored the three-goal cushion after good work from Rogers and Pep Chavarria, before Henderson completed a brilliant individual afternoon by scoring a fantastic free-kick.
jordan-henderson-england-world-cup
The result moved Chelsea up to fifth and provided a much-needed answer after their heavy defeat at Brentford before the international break.
Palmer, Moisés Caicedo and Joao Pedro all returned to the team, but there was also an important first appearance for one of the club’s expensive summer additions.
Marco Palestra was introduced for Joao Pedro in the 72nd minute, giving the Italian his competitive Chelsea debut.
marco-palestra-chelsea-premier-league
The £47 million recruit arrived from Atalanta with a growing reputation but suffered a quad problem shortly before the opening game of the season.
That setback forced him to watch Chelsea’s first five league fixtures from the sidelines and delayed his opportunity to show what he can offer Alonso.
However, the early signs from Cobham appear extremely encouraging.
Marco Palestra has been ‘killing it’ in Chelsea training before long-awaited debut
xabi-alonso-chelsea-training
According to Daily Mail journalist Kieran Gill, the message from within Chelsea’s camp is that Palestra has been “killing it in training” and already turning plenty of heads.
That makes his introduction against Bournemouth more than a routine late sub.
Palestra entered with the game already secure, allowing him to settle into Premier League football without being thrown into a tense situation.
The 21-year-old youngster was given time on the right and offered supporters their first competitive glimpse of the speed, stamina and attacking intent which persuaded Chelsea to spend heavily on him.
Alonso already has several options capable of operating down that side, but Palestra’s natural energy could make him particularly useful as a wing-back.
Chelsea’s system asks its wide players to cover large areas, support attacks and recover quickly whenever possession gets turned over.
The next challenge will be turning his strong work on the training ground into regular minutes.
Palestra has had to wait patiently while recovering, but his season has finally started. After Chelsea’s attack delivered five goals on Saturday, Alonso may now have another exciting weapon ready to force his way into the side.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola before the match
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola before the match